John E Davies

Yes. 😬 In other words, I don’t know. I suspect that it doesn’t matter, and I wouldn’t be too concerned about it. I bet the manufacturer isn’t either, and they surely have engineers who know. John Davies Spokane WA

Be safe: When towing, when in doubt, stay an extra day or even three. Don’t push your luck. Post pictures please! John Davies Spokane WA

I haven’t done that road, but have done similar very high up (11,000 feet) and twisty roads, like the Million Dollar Hwy at Ouray. I think it depends mostly on your tow vehicle. A big HD turbo diesel, no worries. A Land Cruiser like mine, worries, definitely. I have on occasion dropped down into 4 Low when towing up super steep hairpin turns, and that was a HUGE help, especially for greatly reducing the transmission temperature, but I am not aware of any other tow vehicle that can do that without risking drivetrain damage. If you have a nervous copilot, then it might be best to leave the Ollie at base camp. Also, that is a very popular route in the summer for sports cars and bike clubs, make sure there is not a 3000 rider Harley tour going the same day as you….. I love that part of Yellowstone, Chief Joseph Hwy headed east is also stunning. Hard lock haipin turns and a 65 mph speed limit! EDIT, Bill beat me by 4 minutes, darn it. This is simply luscious: https://www.visityellowstonecountry.com/photos-that-prove-that-the-beartooth-highway-is-the-most-beautiful-drive-in-america?slide=1 John Davies Spokane WA

One last comment, make sure you have fresh All Season tires on your X5, preferably ones that are decent in winter conditions. All Summer and most A/S tires perform very poorly below about 40 degrees F, so towing in frigid weather becomes more hazardous! If your tires are older than three years, be very cautious, because they do age harden and become skittish. John Davies Spokane WA

Don, your plan sounds fine, but you omitted to mention if you have a generator. You need one anyway, for air conditioning in summer, but it also gives you a reliable 120 volt backup if the campground grid fails. So if you experience a double whammy, like a furnace failure and a grid failure, you still have a source of power, battery charging and at least a little heat. If you didn’t already get the Mopeka tank rings (spacers), order a pair, they give more clearance under the bottles and also keep the steel of the bottles and of the mount itself from rusting. These are stout and well made. Mopeka Tank Halo Just to be safe, do not count on buying RV antifreeze in Howenwald. The current weird COVID/ weather supply issues make it prudent to get some now. John Davies Spokane WA

Very possible, and works quite well. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5478-how-to-remote-mount-the-controller-of-a-suitcase-solar-panel-not-inside-the-trailer/ John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks Andy. I missed that detail in the material list, but it should also be obvious from the pics, both the support arms and the cross beam are 1/4”. I have edited the list. John Davies Spokane WA

Bumping an old thread, did this start-up endeavor fail? I am sure that there are still many interested Ollie owners. John Davies Spokane WA

Bill, how are your Hydrollers holding up? They get very mixed reviews for durability and build quality. Do they tolerate uneven surfaces? That is a lot of weight to have lurching around with a flimsy plastic handle. https://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Products-Hydroller-Wheeled-Container/product-reviews/B001QC78GK?reviewerType=all_reviews John Davies Spokane WA

Search for old threads about converting the (unused !) black tank to fresh water storage, that would be the most elegant way to get an out-of-the way 15 gallons, and it would gravity feed into the fresh tank. I haven’t heard of anyone actually doing this mod, but it is one that I would definitely do, if I needed that much water. You also have to worry about the grey tank backing up, but if you are camping in south Idaho, I expect that you could water some sagebrush with gray water using a garden hose, to make room for the extra volume coming from the black tank. Or just use a buddy tank to store the gray water. This will get you started. …. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2930-merging-gray-and-black-tanks/ John Davies Spokane WA

https://www.exaeris.com/ “The portable device will weigh around 30 pounds and sell for less than $2,000, the pair told us. It will adapt to any power supply, from an outlet to solar power to battery, thanks to the miniaturized technology within, which will require very little power — equivalent to running a few incandescent lightbulbs all day long, ” https://www.digitaltrends.com/news/exaeris-acquatap-world-water-crisis-ces-2021/ That is pretty vague, but a 24 hour long draw to produce “up to” 5 gallons will be hard on an RV charging and battery system. Boondockers will need bigger solar and an extra large battery bank. I’ll let somebody else run the math. This concept doesn’t interest me. John Davies Spokane WA

What size wheels and tires? What fits an LE2 3500 pound axle with the (non-standard) 6 on 5 1/2 bolt pattern to give the needed drop and clear the brake drums? Even a dinky 155/60R15 tire is still about 22.5”, compared to 28.5” for an Ollie tire, or 6” smaller overall. That would lower the trailer 3”, not enough. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Switching to smaller diameter tires would be OK for the small Ollie, for long term storage (winter), but I would never consider it for an LE2, that would be a real pain after about, oh the third time. Changing 10 ply truck tires is a messy, sweaty job even in the best of conditions. If it were raining and cold, ….. 😤 Camping is supposed to be fun. But OTH I can’t see any way to gain 5” with just a change in tire size. If you deflated them to 5 psi, perhaps, but then if you have to make a sharp turn, the tandem axles means you risk popping one or more of the tire beads, and suddenly you have to deal with completely flat tires, maybe with sidewall and wheel damage. Talk about a deflating experience! Maybe that last part is far fetched, but it would make a good video for YouTube. Weird stuff like this does happen. It’s best to “Keep It Simple, Stupid”. I have a prominent KISS sticker on my tool cabinet in the garage, mounted upside down, as a daily reminder of past days that did not go as I intended them to go… John Davies Spokane WA

Plan C would be to buy the LE1 which is 6” shorter…… But I personally would fix the garage. There are plenty of low profile vents with fans, just pick a 14” x 14” one that doesn’t have that big rain cover. That really sticks up high. Here is one …. https://www.airxcel.com/rv/maxxair/products/fans/maxxfan-low-profile John Davies Spokane WA

Forgot this, your BVM-712 will show charging amps from the portable panel, as long as the wires are connected to the positive and negative buses, not right to the batteries, but you won’t be able to see actual details, just for that device, except by looking at the Zamp control display. You COULD easily replace the Zamp control with a Victron MPPT one, as CnC suggests above, and that way it will network with your monitor, so you can use the Victron Connect app to see all those cool functions of your portable panel, just like the ones on the roof. This one is in my WishList, I just haven’t got to that project yet😬 Victron Energy SmartSolar MPPT 100V 20 amp 12/24/48-Volt Solar Charge Controller (Bluetooth) FYI, https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5329-how-to-victron-mppt-solar-charge-controller-underneath-the-street-side-bed/ If you decide to buy the Victron unit, then order a solar panel without the onboard unit, that will save some money right there. BUT you won’t be able to use the panel as a stand-alone charger, for example, to charge the battery in your truck when you are away from the Ollie. That is why I modified my Zamp with Anderson connectors, so I could use it both ways. John Davies Spokane WA

i recommend this basic heat-only thermostat, it works well, has a very small dead band (temperature swing) and looks very nice. My Ollie came with an Air Command AC and that isn’t compatible with the fancy stat, so Oliver installed a clunky mercury switch type one, that failed after three years. This one has been working great since then. I don’t care about programmable features, the first one up in the morning gets to raise the temperature. Emerson 1E78-140 Non-Programmable Heat Only Thermostat for Single-Stage Systems 1: Zamp SAE style connecters are junk IMHO, they are not waterproof, so you can get corrosion problems, and they use an oddball reverse polarity design. This is basically the same type as the (horrible) flat 4 pin trailer connectors that fail so often. I would replace any Zamp ones with standard solar PV connectors like this or else with Anderson Power Poles. That is what I did to my 100 watt Zamp suitcase panel. ….. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5478-how-to-remote-mount-the-controller-of-a-suitcase-solar-panel-not-inside-the-trailer/ I like my 100 watt panel, that 140 watt one will be good too, but these are quite heavy and bulky. Make sure you have a place to store it, preferably in its case on end, not flat. Zamp has newer panels that are way lighter and less bulky, but they are super expensive. I have a Furion port, and it works fine but is a PITA to install on a cable, it has to be soldered and that is quite difficult with 10 AWG wires! And it is limited to 10 amps. If I had to do it again I would probably install this port: All of these PowerPole parts are very high quality and reliable, don’t require soldering, carry a high current and are self cleaning as you plug them together. This is the system that ham radio operators love. They are NOT waterproof, if you camp ofter in a rainy climate, they would not be as good a choice IMHO. (But in rainy weather you will probably just store the panel away, as I do.) 2: solar port location is best as close to the batteries as possible, but ChrisMI’s suggestion is a good one too, especially if you are already swapping out the panel connectors. If you plan to add a DC to DC charger at the truck, then go WAY big on cable size, like 00. That way you can run a big charger, 30 + amps. 3 - hook the port cables directly to your battery positive and negative buses, with a 10 amp inline fuse or resettable circuit breaker in the positive wire. Use 10AWG or bigger wire, even if the port is close by. The solar charger doesn’t have to “interact” with any of the other systems, that happens automatically anyway, based on battery voltage. I hope this helps. John Davies Spokane WA

Regular high quality outdoor sign vinyl is fine. For example: "3M™ Scotchcal™ Electrocut™ Graphic Film" Read this page, there is a lot of good info and installation tips... https://dmevisual.com/vinyl-lettering-guide/ Many members have put personal stuff on the front,.with great success, but a word of caution, that is a rough location in terms of durability, there are too many insect carcasses and flying stones. The stones can cause little pits and tears, the insect guts require hard scrubbing, which is not good. I have the OEM "Oliver mountain" logo in front; after five seasons it is still looking good, but it is in no way pristine. Everything on the sides or back looks brand new. Oliver Sales used to offer custom graphics through their local Hohenwald supplier, I don't know if they do that any more. That is how I got the "Mouse" stickers for Hull 218. Some reading: ... https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3560-so-proud/ PS: I wish EVERYBODY would make the title very descriptive, otherwise when you search you have NO clue what the thread is about. Grrr. John Davies Spokane WA

I have the Tire Traker system, it doesn’t require a booster either with an Ollie. Be aware that the length of your tow vehicle, and the amount of stuff, especially dense items like a generator or bikes, in the back or bed can block the radio signals. You can play around with the monitor’s position, it may work better at the left side of the dash rather than in the center. It certainly should not be down low on the center console. John Davies Spokane WA

I thought this pic might be useful, from my Stone Stomper thread, it shows the trailer as close as it ever gets while driving forward (full steering lock). Obviously when reversing it would get close enough to hit. If other members have similar pics, please post them! John Davies Spokane WA

Remove four nuts under the tongue, remove two “square” u bolts, lift off the tray. That is how my 2017 one works, the current one may differ slightly. If you really don’t want it, ask them to delete it from your build sheet, there is no reason they would not, at this very early stage. It is probably one of the last things they do after all the other stuff is completed. If you do remove it, there will be two holes left in the fiberglass, which might bother you. It would be better to stop it from being installed in the first place. How much is that option now? It was about $700 for mine…. That will buy a lot of gas. John Davies Spokane WA .

FYI, If the basket collides with your truck hard enough to damage the truck, you should also inspect the basket itself for damage, it possibly could have cracks on the support brackets or mounting holes. It is only held down in the middle by two rather undersized u-bolts. Here is a pic of the early style tray, showing the angle brackets that "straddle" the tongue, and the two sets of holes for the u-bolts. (The rubber strips have been removed in this pic.). This design is adequate for a heavy load like a generator IF it is centered over the tongue, but if you load it unevenly, it may not be OK. For example a full Jerry can on just one side might be a problem Since relocating mine to the back, I no longer worry about damaging the truck, but I now have to worry about ramming it into my house (; John Davies Spokane WA

The big problem with other brands of trailers is their lack of insulation. The cold weather ability of an Ollie comes at a price, a bunch of extra weight. You either need to replace the Subie with a significantly larger tow vehicle, such as a Tahoe or 1500 pickup, or consider an alternative option like a Northern Lite or Lance four season camper on a Heavy Duty pickup truck. Buy a nice used truck with a stout payload, and continue to use the Outback as a daily driver. Truck campers offer a lot of benefits compared to a trailer, like effortless reversing, especially for a newbie owner, and if you leave the camper on it all the time, they do not take up any more parking space than a LE2. https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/buyers-guide/hard-side/northern-lite-camper/ I have seen used camper/ truck packages offered on Craigslist and by RV dealers, that is a very painless way to buy and drive one home. You don’t even have to go through the hassle of mounting the tie down hardware. Though you should always have a pre-purchase inspection performed first. John Davies Spokane WA

I use to store it upright in the right aft corner of the closet, but last season I started carrying chairs, MaxTrax, shovel, rake etc in a roof cargo box on the Land Cruiser, so the pole goes up there now. John Davies Spokane WA

We stayed at Fall Hollow in May 2017 because it was quite late in the afternoon and Oliver paid for it. Yuck. The septic hookup was in the same muddy hole in the ground as the water spigot. I can’t imagine any building code allowing that. The rest of the campground just appeared run down, OTH state park and Corps campgrounds in TN are beautiful and well maintained. Henry Horton and Anderson Road COE on Percy Priest Lake (east of Nashville) are good ones. The latter is close to city attractions and has boat noise during daylight hours. John Davies Spokane WA

I replaced the 4 original batteries when they went Tango Uniform at the end of the 2020 camping season - two Battle Born 100 amp hr, with room on the tray for a third with only a little extra minor work. So far that setup has worked fine for me, I doubt that I will add any more capacity. John Davies Spokane WA