John E Davies

None of the two electronics compartments are vented in any way. They trap heat. This is bad because it stresses the units installed there, makes them operate unnecessarily hot (at or outside their operating limits) and can greatly shorten their life spans. Simply put is a stupid engineering design. Especially for those blistering summer days when the street side of the trailer is facing full sunlight. Consider adding vents and/ or a circulation fan to get some airflow. The down side is that you will hear the converter and inverter fans running but they should not run as often or as fast. I would not be at all surprised if your converter has failed. It is an easy repair, you should buy the “lithium compatible” version so you can upgrade the batteries in the future more easily. (And they will also need proper cooling.) FYI the converter has both vents and exhaust openings in the outside, but they don’t do anything to remove heat from inside the compartment. The inverter is fully trapped and does not get any cool airflow at all. Running it hard in summer is like having a small box heater going in there😳 John Davies Spokane WA

That formula may work as a rough estimate, but different tire brands and tire models will vary a little, sometimes more than a little, as does the tread depth. It is best to refer to the actual tire charts, Tire Rack is a good source. What tires are currently being used? As an example, these (VERY nice) AT3 4S tires are 29.1”. I have these on my Land Cruiser and really like them, I will mount a set on the Ollie eventually…. John Davies Spokane WA

Our two dogs “alarm” when one of us uses hand sanitizer after getting into the truck. 20 seconds later they both sneeze, one time each. John Davies Spokane WA

Kelly, at this stage in your RV life you need to educate yourself. There is an awful lot of technical details about solar, but the basics are not hard to understand. The more you read, or watch videos, the more you will learn. The learning curve is quite steep at first, but it makes sense after a while https://www.imnotlostimrving.com/rv-solar-system-overview/ Northern latitude, known tree cover, short days, possible foul weather. You need a small generator without a doubt! Solar does best in high summer out in the open. Even if you never run your air conditioning off the generator, one day, for sure, you will need it to recharge your batteries. John Davies Spokane WA

I agree with GJ, my Ollie is indoors almost always. I won't automatically scrap the tires at five years, they can go much longer safely, as long as you keep an eye on them. One thing to watch for is ozone, it is harmful to rubber products and it is produced my brush-type electric motors, for example, an electric shop tool. If you have any of this type around your Ollie, at least be aware of this issue. https://www.applerubber.com/hot-topics-for-engineers/understanding-the-link-between-ozone-and-rubber-deterioration/ And do NOT fall for the snake oil claims about air "purifying" ozone generators. https://molekule.science/ozone-generators/ John Davies Spokane WA

It is a serious safety (shock) hazard, I would contact the camp host or office and tell them to fix it ASAP before somebody gets hurt. "In an electrical system, ground and neutral are connected together in one location only, at the neutral point. This connection is either at the power company transformer or in or near the main electrical panel of the dwelling (see Electrical Circuits). The voltage on a neutral wire is normally 0V (volts) on a live circuit. However, if a neutral wire is open, the voltage on the line side of this open neutral is 120V. You can get a shock from an open neutral wire." https://www.electrical101.com/open-neutral.html I personally would not plug into any outlet that failed the basic tests. John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks for your kind words. This is a very supportive community. If you don’t have one already, get a little outlet tester, any brand is fine as long as it has that extra “GFCI test” button on top. That will save you a bunch of headaches, use it to test any new outlets you encounter when camping before plugging in. It is not uncommon for them to be either dead or miswired. Maybe some are inside your home! https://www.amazon.com/s?k=gfci+tester&crid=1Q1AIXQ787O8G&sprefix=gfci+tester%2Caps%2C144&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 John Davies Spokane WA

Is there a reason you just can't post the brochure here? Is it proprietary info? I assume you already have the patents done, considering how many years this has been developing since you first announced it.. John Davies Spokane WA

That can happen any time you raise both tires of the ground. It has never happened to me when just one is raised with weight on the other one. It will definitely occur while checking the brakes with them off the ground, spin a tire and have a helper pull the emergency breakaway cord. The brakes lock and ***BANG*** the axle shackle flips and one wheel drops down. I was never able to figure out a way to manually put it back where it belongs, using floor and bottle jacks, but simply towing your lopsided trailer will eventually fix it, or you can drive that side of the Ollie over a concrete curb and ***BANG*** back it goes. I am not enamored with the EZ-FLex system, or any tandem equalizer setup. What a primitive design. John Davies Spokane WA

Weird outside lights are a classic symptom of corrosion inside your 7 pin trailer connector. The gunk is conductive and it shorts out the battery wire to one or more light wires, voila, dead battery. IMHO it is best to just install a new one, once it gets that bad there is enough damage that cleaning doesn't make much sense. This pic is an example, there is way more gunk inside that cleaning the outside doesn't fix. https://liveworkdream.com/2021/06/02/trailer-tail-lights-not-working/ Your "no shore power" problem may have many causes. Did this just happen or has it been dead always? Maybe you have a problem with your home outlet, like a tripped breaker or GFCI button.. Normally everything is transparent, you don't have to turn on the solar panels for example, it all switches automatically. Did you get an Owners Manual? If not you can download one at https://olivertraveltrailers.com/oliver-university/ Once you get this figured out you need to check the condition of your batteries, they could be damaged enough to need replacement. John Davies Spokane WA

John Davies Spokane WA

Fan failure! My fan just stopped working right before my fifth camping season. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6878-natures-head-fan-failed-the-day-before-first-trip/ An email to Natures Head resulted in their shipping ASAP at no charge TWO upgraded fan assemblies. My old fan on the right has unprotected solder joints and the tiny connector is open and corroding. The new one has heat shrink tubing over the connector and waterproofing compound applied liberally to it and to the main round connector. I highly suggest that if your fan looks like mine, go ahead and ask for a pair of replacements. They obviously saw that corrosion was a problem and took steps to eliminate it. Bravo. I tested the extra one to make sure it worked and added some paper towel padding inside and wrapped it all in stretch wrap, and I put it in the overhead cabinet in the bathroom for any future need. John Davies Spokane WA

Be VERY sure you understand the classification system for ebikes and where you can legally ride yours. Most states categorize them and many limit their use, it would be a shame to buy an ebike and then find out that you can't ride it on those bike paths or rail trails. Generally speaking, if it can move without your "pedal assist" it is going to be very restricted. My wife just bought a fast and powerful Class 3 (28 mph) Gazelle Ultimate C380+commuter ebike. Because it has no hand throttle it is legal for many trails that the more basic ones can go. She just has to be careful about keeping the speed down 😉 https://www.juicedbikes.com/blogs/news/e-bike-regulations-by-state Some rail trails like the wonderful Route of the Hiawatha in Idaho do not permit Class 3 bikes, but in reality there is no way for an inspector to tell a Class 3 from a Class 1.... as long as you don't speed. It isn't stamped or placarded in any way. And that trail does allow Class 2 bikes by special permit, which would be a hassle and there would be no guarantee of being approved. The main intent of limiting power is to reduce damage to soft surfaced paths. I'm not sure about mobility scooters, I suspect that if YOU are truly ADA handicapped, you could ride it on most paved bike paths. But I would not bet on that. And it would certainly be a whole lot harder to transport when camping. John Davies Spokane WA

Edit, added a warning picture about the CableClam holes: John Davies Spokane WA

If you have blocked your tail and brake lights for some reason, with a big cargo box for example, you need to add aux lighting to be safe and legal. I added an LED light bar here: ... https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6848-how-to-add-a-full-width-led-light-bar-to-your-bike-rack-when-your-bike-blocks-the-trailer-lights/ The factory wires are easy enough to access underneath the rear cargo floor, near the side door, but the colors do NOT match "industry standard" color coding. Not even close. This is based on my 2017 LE2, yours may differ. Oliver stopped providing wiring diagrams a few years ago, please complain to Sales! I made this chart showing the differences. Why they did this is beyond comprehension. This is from the lightbar thread, it shows the CableClam in the exact location of the left round red reflector. Be VERY careful drilling holes here ... ... because directly on the other side there are water lines and electrical cables: To access the wires, remove the rubber floor sheet and the several tiny screws holding down the floor panel. Remove any cable ties, black electrical tape and peel away the protective split loom material. You will see some wire buses and also the two water ports and check valves. My two larger buses each had a free spot, so I could just strip the appropriate wire and push it into place. The other three wires had to be spliced directly into the Oliver wires. A little confusion here, the separate LED light bar Back Up wire was white, so it is important to keep track of the wire's purpose - function supersedes the actual color at all times! AFTER testing to make sure all your lights work .... OLIVER Bike Rack LED Light Bar Initial Test .... reinstall the split loom and secure everything well with nylon wire ties. Don't forget the big bundles that run along the back wall, mine were completely loose. Double check your lights to make sure they still work. Put the floor and rubber sheet back in. Go have a beer. I hope this helps. It is infuriating when colors do not match industry standards. ESPECIALLY IF YOUR TRAILER MANUAL HAS NO WIRING DIAGRAMS!!! John Davies Spokane WA

There should be two CO detectors unless things have changed, a combination smoke/ CO round residential type one in back, and a propane/ CO detector down low under the dinette. Do you have two? If so, which is squawking? I suspect a bad unit, Oliver will send you a replacement. The dinette one will require making two electrical splices since it is hard wired to 12 volts. The rear one comes off with a twist and takes batteries. Please add a signature with your TV info and your model and Hull number. John Davies Spokane WA

Hi Raspy, sorry, I am not attending. I normally try to stay on the west side of the Great Plains…. but I will be in central Texas in 2024 for the total solar eclipse, we could meet then. 😬 I would appreciate seeing lots of pics of your baby, maybe you could start a detailed thread? I don’t recall, don’t you live in Nevada? In a week we are headed to south Idaho and then Great Basin NP (tho it is too early so we probably won’t be able to get high up there), then west and back through Steens Mountain area. Maybe we will run into each other… John

Thanks for posting the reminder, fixed your pic. John Davies Spokane WA

https://www.bluesea.com/products/1001100/CableClam_with_Stainless_Steel_Dress_Cap_0.68in The location for the Clam was a little tight for a regular battery drill, a 3/8” angle drill worked fine. It allowed me to go Olde School and bring out my air tools, which I haven’t used in a long time…. I changed the SAE 4 pin connector plus the separate white backup wire for 6 pin waterproof Deutsch connectors. I can not recommend this and do not suggest that you try it, I was amazed to see how very TINY and difficult to work with the lightbar wires were, 28 AWG or even smaller with floppy silicone insulation. I fully expected the mod to fail. My cheap Amazon ratchet crimper did its best. I riveted a piece of 3/4” x 1” x 0.188” 6061T6 aluminum angle to the rear cross beam, then stuck down the lightbar with the included 3M super tape. The bar is in a vulnerable spot and I wanted to add straps for the bike tires, the angle prevents any undue pressure or stress on the lightbar. The lightbar works great, it really adds a TON of brightness and bling at the back of the trailer.I will try to get some night pictures when towing. Highly recommended, just don’t cut that factory harness. I will post another thread about hooking up the wires inside the trailer. John Davies Spokane WA

This has been discussed many times. Short answer: Redline CV-2 John Davies Spokane WA

https://electricbikereview.com/category/folding/ FYI small wheels means a rougher ride (potholes especially) unless you get fat low pressure tires. They make sense if you want to just poke around the campground, but for paved bike trails or streets a full sized model is better. John Davies Spokane WA

Check the fuse for the tank gauge, the little brass ““ears” that grip the fuse terminals are easily sprung out of position, they are a really soft material. You can carefully squeeze them back together with a mini needle nose pliers. Just don’t short something! Zap! Use the pliers to place the fuse back in straight, do not let it cock sideways or you are back to square 1…. Check all the fuses while you are lying sideways under the dinette table saying bad words. You may find other loose ones. The fuse section of the converter is definitely a low budget item. John Davies Spokane WA

This is stellar service, kind of like the Oliver company. Note the time of the email. It was 7:18 AM (their time) when this got processed. And I only asked for one.😳 John Davies Spokane WA

That is a fine offer, thank you, but let me see if they reply to my email tomorrow. I may try calling them too. they are a couple hours ahead of my time zone. John Davies Spokane WA

https://www.1up-usa.com/compare-racks/ Three are RV rated and off road rated. Be sure to buy enough rack…. I do not have the Ollie receiver so I can’t help there. EDIT - it is 6’7” from the rear axle to the center of the bumper 😥 All those 1-Up racks that are RV rated require a 2” receiver, so you would have to modify yours. I bought a Super Duty Single for the truck, I dislike it for a fendered city bike. For a fenderless one, no worries. They make a front wheel brace that is intended to help, but it is lame. Shortening the rear fender helps. John Davies Spokane WA