John E Davies

Hi, you probably saw this already, is this yours? https://www.technomadia.com/oliverforsale/ Or this? https://www.technomadia.com/zephyr/oliver/ It would be helpful if you could provide a build list and any current add-on equipment, or at least post a bunch of pics. Batteries, solar, suspension …? What do you plan to do with her? Boondocking? How many people? John Davies Spokane WA

They will CERTAINLY upload perfectly directly from your iPhone. And I have to ask, why do you still have a Windows laptop? Are you doing all these posts at work? Most Apple users have an iMac or Macbook, they don’t want the constant agony of dealing with Microsoft products. Our two person household has two iMacs, a Macbook Air, two iPhones, two iPads, plus a number of older iPhones that are backups. You could not give me a PC or Android device….. Good luck on your quest to make your Windows work right. Because it never will, but it keeps you employed I guess...😬 John Davies Spokane WA

Alberta and Randy, the Maxx Fan is another possibility, this was mine. A properly sealed joint should not have all that dirt underneath the mounting area! I was seeing drips falling from the inside trim piece, pulling it off showed dirty water stains. I think a fan leak would probably show up this way, but water can also migrate sideways, since the inner trim piece is sealed around the outside by the factory 🙄 https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4003-how-to-maxxfan-remove-and-service-preventive-maintenance-to-avoid-water-damage/ Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

Posted height is supposed to be the minimum, so it would be directly over the edge of the pavement. Look for damaged concrete from truckers who ignored that😬. For a two lane tunnel I don’t worry much, I just shift over to the middle a little. Here is one from Colorado National Monument: Those single lane low ceiling round tunnels are another thing entirely, they can be butt clenching, pardon the allusion. John Davies Spokane WA

Lliana, the Voyager instruction manual is quite complete, did you not get one? https://www.renogy.com/content/RCC10VOYP-G1/VOYP1020-Manual.pdf The optional temp sensor is useful IF you never get further away than about 10 feet from the batteries. The harness is not very long. https://renogy.force.com/helpcenter/s/topic/0TO4W000000kvumWAA/accessories-wiring-faqs BTW, if your batteries are the original ones, get them load tested before your next camping season, their life is probably close to finished. And if I were buying individual components, I would choose a better MPPT charge controller. The only reason I used the Renogy one is that it came with my suitcase kit. It would not be my first choice, or even my tenth one😬 John Davies Spokane WA

I fixed that statement for you. 😬 I suggest that you seal it properly, regardless of what Service says they try to do….. that bracket is a mess. At least fill the center hole so water can’t pool in there and freeze….. How do the other ones look? John Davies Spokane WA

I would like to see a video of that. Yes, it is prudent to watch the person filling your tanks! Thanks for posting. John Davies Spokane WA

Only Oliver Sevice can tell you for sure, but it looks like the standard Dicor Self Leveling sealant used on RV roofs everywhere. It is quick and easy to apply, so less man hours, and it looks like crap. I personally would be quite pissed if they did that to my trailer. That is for stick and staple Elkhart trailers with rubber roofs. It requires routine inspection and touch up. https://dicorproducts.com/product/epdm-self-leveling-sealant-for-manufacturers/ Trailers with “boat hulls” should get marine sealants. I will probably never return to the factory, but if I did and they were going to seal something up top on “Mouse”, I would tell them what type to use and have them charge me for the extra cost and labor. John Davies Spokane WA

That tank has not been updated, I annotated your last pic so you can see where the new plumbing parts will be installed, roughly. John Davies Spokane WA

Bump an old thread. John Davies Spokane WA

Bumping an old thread, in time for pollen and wildfire smoke season….. Amazon has these for a great price, for the last year they have been unavailable or way expensive. This Medium unit (with one filter element) is appropriate for either Ollie, the Large one (with two elements) is better for a large home bedroom. I have both. Honeywell HPA104 HEPA Air Purifier, Medium Room (155 sq. ft), White $123 Filters, plenty good and less cost than the Honeywell ones: Altec Filters HEPA Premium Quality Replacement Filters Compatible with HPA200 Filter R Air Purifier, 2 Pack Fits HPA090, HPA100, HPA200, HPA300 HW HRF-R2 (HRF-R2 2 Pack) $22 Fette Filter Pack of 2 Carbon Pre-Filter Rolls | Compatible with Honeywell HRF-AP1, Filter A – Makes Up To 8 Air Filters Each Roll $20 These carbon filters can last a loooong time, instead of tossing them when they are dirty, vacuum and reinstall. The main filter HEPA element needs changing annually IF you run the unit all the time See also https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5790-how-to-window-dust-pollen-smoke-filter/ . The Honeywell filter and the window filters worked great last summer when we were trapped for a couple of days in southern BC, the smoke was so bad that ash settled on everything. The inside of the trailer stayed clean. Breathe well. John Davies Spokane WA

I forgot to ask, this is off topic a whole lot, how is the grass holding up at the Oliver CG? It looks pretty bad in your pic; from images posted last summer it appears that the contractor laid down and compacted a huge gravel parking lot, then put sod directly on top of that to delineate the campsites.. 😳 Zoom in and study the grass, I think the first time somebody tries to mow it, the sod is going to lift up into the mower deck. It appears to be a “low bid” job… Also I quite like your wheels, I am looking for a set of Acura takeoffs like yours. Now back to your towing thread. John Davies Spokane WA

How are the brakes, are they working properly yet? Have you tried a really hard stop? Got TPMS? I am glad this has worked out so well, but you should slow down. A tire failure on a single axle trailer at 75 mph is going to be horrendous. Have you considered an OBD2 monitor so you can see what is happening inside the engine, CVT and alternator? https://www.scangauge.com/x-gauge-commands/2019-subaru-ascent/ How is the trailer charging, is that working? Does Reset have lithiums? I have owned a couple of older Roos and I would be extra extra cautious about your engine and drivetrain durability, be very aggressive about fluid changes and I suggest full synthetics, if the Subaru OEM ones are not that type. My sister tows a 1200 pound braked teardrop trailer with a 2015 Forester CVT, without paddle shifters. I am waiting for a report that she has crashed going down some steep Oregon grade. Do you use yours at all? How well do they help? Is there a Tow/ Haul setting? Subaru trannies are fairly reliable, better than the old automatics, but they are not repairable, they have to be replaced. And out of warranty that is going to be $$$: https://www.subaruforester.org/threads/2015-transmission-cvt-failure-report.808670/ Sorry for all the questions, you are a pioneer here, I think, with your Subaru. Please post pictures! I fixed the one you posted earlier. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

FYI many owners end up removing that fat black rubber rain seal between the awning and the hull, because it traps water, leaves, needles and dirt up top. It makes a real mess and it is hard to clean. I removed my single seal the day after I got the trailer home. If you never park under trees, you may be happy with it. John Davies Spokane WA

Anita is great, she was our rep in 2016. Start a new thread asking for advice about the second awning, add a Poll to make it more meaningful. But with only a day left, maybe you will have to do the coin toss. But if you do choose that second one, and decide a little later to delete it, I bet that could be done. John Davies Spokane WA

That sounds like a winner to me. I am not sure if you have considered one thing, you shouldn't’ put any high current switch or connector too close to the propane tanks. The switch itself will arc internally if operated while there is a heavy load, so you should plan to always turn off the load (or the dc to dc charger) before switching or disconnecting the Anderson connectors, to reduce arcing, which can eventually damage parts. Or blow you up 😳 For the charger, shut down the engine, then disconnect, not the other way round. In other words, when unhitching don’t just yank the Anderson cord with the engine going. What brand of charger? My Redarc one applies power “gracefully” - it monitors the TV voltage for a second or two, then connects to the battery bank. Do you plan to do the work yourself? Do you have the Anderson parts kit and their crimper? Please post a thread with pics. This is cool. I love this stuff. John Davies Spokane WA

So that is where mine went! 🤨Hull 218 had no fuse at all…. John Davies Spokane WA

Try GAIA Premium, that lets you download all sorts of maps and layers for when the cell signal disappears. It has a fairly steep learning curve, but once you figure out the basics, it works great. Buy from their website to save 10% compared to the App Store. https://www.gaiagps.com/membership/?COUP=10OFFFIRSTYEAR Pocket Earth Pro, I think I mentioned that somewhere already, I love it for just routine “road atlas” type navigation, it gives great situational awareness for what the terrain is like beyond your truck’s OEM nav screen, or an aftermarket GPs with road maps, which might just show a line on a grey background…... Here are a couple of screen captures at different zoom levels. These are all downloaded maps, they work anywhere. John Davies Spokane WA

We need pictures. Did you say a lot of bad words, and how much was the repair? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Yes, it slips in the gap and you pump up the bladder to make it lock in place. Did you look at that Acura link? There is more info and pics there and a product link. I didn't feel like repeating myself here 😉 FYI, I already had the adjustable arm and the tablet mount, anything like this will be extra cost, all use a standard 1" ball. John Davies Spokane WA

I thought this might interest some owners who are understandably reluctant to drill holes or bolt down hard brackets. My Land Cruiser has a hard mount for my iPad Mini 4,, but my wife vetoed that for her new RDX, so I got the portable one. I won't say much more, just a couple of pics and then a link to another forum for the details. https://acurazine.com/forums/third-generation-rdx-2019-454/ram-tough-wedge-ipad-2022-rdx-998292/ John Davies Spokane WA

Albert, this is a common conundrum. I no longer hike much due to some physical issues, so a handheld GPS doesn't matter to me since I just take easy tourist paths - "Oh what a pretty view!" - , nothing at all rugged or wild. I rely on an iPad Mini loaded with aftermarket nav apps such as GAIA and Pocket Earth Pro to get the truck where I want it, I think that is a great option for overlanders who are often in the boonies, exploring remote forest and ranch roads. The USFS maps and their MVUM layer (Motor Vehicle Use Maps - where your vehicle can legally go) are very good. If I had to pick one for hiking, it would be in addition to the iPad, and it would fit on my wrist. Look at running/ hiking wrist units to see if any would suit you. John Davies Spokane WA

I don’t know much about the 750i Montana, but you should consider keeping your primary nav device separate from your satellite communicator. My inReach Explorer (no gps) has a one month battery life on standby, the 750i is 18 hours in gps mode. Do you see the basic problem? If you get stranded in the wilderness, the last thing you want is a dead battery. The inReach is built to a higher standard in terms of ruggedness. You can deal with the lack of a qwerty keyboard by tying it to your phone using the Earthmate app, which works fine, or just make do with the unit’s basic one. Preset messages stored on the website make sending routine check in messages easy - even “broken down, no injuries, send tow truck” - it is only when you have to talk to SAR that do you need to be able to type in details. I use my inReach three times daily on trips when there is no cell, in the morning when hitting the road, at a lunch stop, and when retiring for the night; all are my pre-loaded messages that cost nothing. John Davies Spokane WA

They are separate systems, but they do interact gracefully. The converter (charger) voltage is high enough that the solar sees the batteries as charged, so nothing happens from the roof. Disconnect shore power, the voltage drops, and the solar picks up automatically. Everything is based on the battery voltage. You don’t have to worry about any of it. John Davies Spokane WA

If you happen to know anyone who might be interested, I would really appreciate your passing on the link. As a reward, you will get my immediate thanks and undying gratitude, a place to park your Ollie in my back yard for at least three or four days, and a couple of dozen doughnuts, your choice of flavor….. 1998 Lexus Sc400 for sale Cars and Bids auction It is “No Reserve”, which is a bit of a gamble, but that is supposed to stir up more bidding interest. Wish me luck. Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA