John E Davies

Wow, no please do not do that. If the blockage is at the tray you could blow the drain hose right off the nipple. And possibly flood the cabin and electrical items. I would use compressed air regulated to say 30 psi or else mechanical methods. How about a small electrical wire fish tape, or a single wire from residential Romex 14/2 cable? ? Hull 218 has the drain exit at the street side rear corner, is yours different? If you decide to use the garden hose method, for God’s sake attach an adjustable regulator!. Some sources may be over 100 psi. And video the process so we can all see…. 😉 John Davies Spokane WA

Where do you live, and how far a drive? That price is crazy cheap compared to major cities. That looks like a really nice facility. I assume it has security cameras? One reason we added an RV bay when we built our house seven years ago was the cost of secure INSIDE storage. It is $350+ here. I figured the bay paid for itself already, it was a $30k option, but that charge included fully sheet rocked walls there (and in the garage at no extra cost.) Add the cost of fuel and lost time in traffic for going to a storage place, those factors can really hurt. Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

You can extend any thermostor/aka temp sensor a reasonable distance, just use HIGH quality connections (solder and heat shrink) and use an equal or heavier gauge (smaller number) wires. Then no worries - you won’t see any significant resistance increase. Especially for a sensor that has a range of 15,000 to 30000 ohms like the Zamp solar one!. Adding a few ohms to those figures is irrelevant. NO, NOPE, NO WAY: If you do anything in terms of splicing or repairing, always test the sensor before and then after the operation, in equal environmental conditions.. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4205-how-to-check-your-zamp-battery-temperature-sensor-for-proper-operation/ John Davies Spokane WA

Found that part, Cash Acme 1/2 Inch V-101 Anti-Siphon Vacuum Breaker, Brass Plumbing Fitting, 17383-0000 FYI it is about 6 ounces and designed to attach to rigid pipe like a house hose bib. It should be mounted with the diaphragm (plate) facing up, so water will drain out and not pool. FYI that white check valve will function in any position, but ideally it should be horizontal to rule out the effect of gravity and road bumps. If yours is vertical, you could switch the position of the 90 degree elbow to correct that. John Davies Spokane WA

I suspect that other owners were breaking the old style line by putting heavy stuff in that storage compartment. While you are in the bath cabinet, secure all the other loose parts that flop around. Maybe the next bad roads won’t break stuff. I bet that very heavy brass vacuum breaker doesn’t have a support bracket. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/9039-how-to-bath-sink-compartment-mods-duct-rework-insulation-disconnect-flush-line/ What tire pressures? I always ask when owners report this sort of failure. I towed over all kinds of nasty roads including British Columbia and never had problems at 42 psi and careful driving (ie slow down for those visible tire eating potholes and whoop-de-dos…) Please post lots of pics, this is informative. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Tom, a 0.5 volt drop is indeed excessive and indicates a mechanical problem. Loose or corroded terminal, bad crimp, internal fault… you should fix it and not dismiss it. This is how fires start. John Davies Spokane WA

It is ironic that this unit is labeled “Freedom” … freedom from what? The Lithionic batteries seem to be solid products, but the fact that each has its own on/ off switch adds a lot of unnecessary complexity to the electrical system, and the potential to wreck one of them if an owner makes a very simple mistake: “Oliver Travel Trailers was alerted that under certain conditions the Lithionics internal BMS could be damaged if the full load for inrush amperage to the inverter is loaded on a single battery.” https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6619-tsb-proper-lithionic-reboot-sequence/ I think the entire electrical system has some VERY major design flaws that should be corrected. An owner should not have to worry about cr@p like this due to shoddy design! Ollies need a central battery master on/ off switch inside the trailer, not at the batteries... (No - the picture is not upside down.) All the cables should be run to two central internal positive and negative buses. EACH battery positive terminal needs a limiting fuse of an adequate rating to operate normally, but it would blow in the event of a current overload. There should be no unfused wires anywhere, ever!!!! And …… every owner should have full access to up-to-date wiring diagrams. Does Oliver consult with professional electrical engineers? I seriously doubt it … As a side note, “old school” electronics and appliances with separate functions, such as a charger and an inverter, or a water heater and furnace, do perfectly fine in an RV environment, they are very simple to troubleshoot or cheap to repair, and they don’t cause major system headaches when one fails. If one goes out in the field, you usually can continue camping without very much trouble. Properly designed systems should make life easier and more trouble free for owners. Not make things complicated. OK, I am done ranting 😉 John Davies Spokane WA

That is great news, it makes it possible to install a plug and play disk brake set, instead of having to also swap out the axles! I wish Oliver did this many years ago…. John Davies Spokane WA

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/7276-lithionics-secures-access-to-their-batteries/ I can’t help otherwise. John Davies Spokane WA

The app is very useful and reasonably easy to use in practice, for monitoring the solar and batteries performance. The settings however are confusing, and you should always, ALWAYS refer to guidance from your battery manufacturer. These settings optimize performance and battery life and should never be altered randomly. For example, for my two 100 AH Battle Borns: The default log in password is “000000” (six zeros) and this shows every time on the initial page when you open the app. Whenever you do a firmware update, you will get a prompt to change it. Or you can change it any time in the Settings menu. I suggest your birthday; eg 082153. If you camp by yourself all the time it won’t really matter, but in crowded commercial campgrounds, it can be potentially hazardous! A nearby clueless coach owner may see your device or network and connect to it. If he sees a bunch of different settings, he could panic, thinking “My system has been hacked!” and start changing them!!! The hackee becomes the hacker 😉 This could possibly be very bad and damaging for your expensive system if it involves charging voltage and battery type! The alarm settings are not as dangerous to your $$$ parts, you can tweek them up or down a little. For example the Low State of Charge buzzer. Change the name of your devices to something logical to YOU, such as Oliver Battery Monitor or Rooftop Solar, this will add a layer of defense against your neighbor’s unwanted advances. As a final note, with this knowledge you could wreak havoc on your neighbors if you were feeling mischievous! Please avoid the temptation! And if you know which rig has the 000000 password, you could tell the owner nicely that their system is at risk. Help them alter it and you might get a free doughnut…. John Davies Spokane WA

John Davies Spokane WA

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6729-how-to-check-your-sewer-grey-vent-under-the-galley-counter-top/ https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6721-how-to-secure-the-loose-grey-drain-vent-plumbing-under-the-galley/ I 100% agree about using a tank treatment, if you never add anything it can get pretty gross in the grey tank. John Davies Spokane WA

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4376-7-cup-pur-water-pitcher-fits-neatly-in-pantry-affordable-filters/ The very first night we camped was in the nearby Fall Hollow (?) RV park that Oliver paid for. Our site had the fresh water spigot located BELOW ground, a few inches away from the waste pipe. Needless to say I did not use the fresh water supply. You can seriously contaminate the fresh tank, it is best to never drink directly from that supply. Use a cheap blue filter when you fill and some sort of filter system or bottled water for human use. Just say no to E. coli. John Davies Spokane WA

Keep in mind that the hull moves around on the frame, you can secure the rack to that tire rod, but you need to add some give to the strap. It certainly cannot safely be tightened completely. How about a heavy line with a rubber dock line snubber? I personally think the bikes should be guyed hard to the trailer frame. Could you use two straps secured to this point on each side, with two tie down rings? Or heavy pieces of 2x2” aluminum angle with holes drilled. Where did you find that very cool ring with threaded base? John Davies Spokane WA

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2022-rivian-r1t-yearlong-review-update-10-running-out-of-battery/ Now imagine yourself far far from help….. or in a cell dead zone. Just say no to electric vehicles for towing. And all-electric RVs… John Davies Spokane WA

I think pictures would be appreciated! Maybe we could have a 6th choice for blue ice: https://www.newsweek.com/passing-plane-drops-frozen-block-poo-over-town-shocking-residents-1600510 BTW this does indeed occur occasionally, but it is fortunately rare… John Davies Spokane WA

Newbie mistake, it is a good thing it did not light or the chair fabric would have caught fire. You should never prop anything against the side of the trailer, anywhere. It will eventually scar the gelcoat. Another mistake coming up soon, you forget to pull out the grey tank isolation valve handle, you use the sink before bedtime, later after using the toilet in the dark you discover that you are standing in a pool of water. Time for dry socks! Don’t stress, learn the quirks of your new Ollie. John Davies Spokane WA

In a perfect world you would be correct. On dead flat slabs, fine, but if you encounter a sloping, uneven, unimproved site like in many older National Park or USFS campgrounds, there needs to be lube on the tubes, especially the front one. After chocking and then unhitching, the trailer will always shift, sometimes a fair bit. With dry tubes that have a strong sideways force on them, you will experience creaks, groans and pops, and the jack won’t operate smoothly. It won’t hurt the mechanism, but it is disconcerting and should in theory be prevented. I suggest Redline CV-2, the same grease inside the gearbox. Apply a very small amount and rub it hard into the (degreased) metal with your palms. Disposable gloves! It should look a little shiny but you shouldn’t see grease. John Davies Spokane WA

We sold our RV spot to MAX burner, because the management would not accept our new Autohome roof top tent in that spot. We will be in the big grassy tent area close by, in a Some Other Brand family sized ground tent. But we will be wandering around the entire area to meet and greet Ollies. My brother in law will be getting re-married on Saturday, April 6, all day at nearby Enchanted Rock. Otherwise we are free to wander. John Davies Spokane WA

It was quite painful to sell, but this was the correct move at this stage in my life. For privacy I won’t say who bought it, but he is a member and if he wants to announce it, that will be on his dime. I emptied out the RV bay for the first time in six years, washed the floor using a push broom and Dawn detergent, and lots of water, and moved my LC200 over to that spot. I now have a vast area to park a vehicle or do workshop type projects, and my wife now has a big corner dedicated to gardening, with two big workbenches, power, light and pegboard. A happy wife is a happy me… Plus I have even more room for my indoor 10 meter airgun range. We will continue to travel and explore the back country at times, but we will stay primarily in motels or B&Bs. But if we encounter a splendid isolated pull-off overlooking a great vista, we can pop the Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon and rough it for a few nights. It takes about a minute to crank up, and three minutes to put back down. It is pretty darn crude compared to an Ollie, but it is a simply stunning tent. I was really afraid that there would be a big mpg hit from the tent, like with the Yakima RocketBox Carbonite Low, but I was delighted to discover that I got 16 mpgs going to the dealer with bare round bars, and 17 coming back, and no noise at all at 72 mph. That is good mileage for a Land Cruiser with LT tires, they are gas hogs. It’s way better than the 10-12 I got towing “Mouse” at 62 mph. I may install wimpy Geolander AT G015 tires after our next big trip, they will save 52 (!) pounds of rotating mass and I expect to gain another couple of mpgs. They are great “tweener” tires for an Outback, RAV4 or LC200 that isn’t doing lots of rocky stuff. I have had two sets already on other vehicles and I am impressed. We plan to attend the Total Solar Eclipse rally in Fredericksburg next April, but we will be forced to sleep in the ground due to stupid CG rules. If anyone wants a dirt cheap big heavy Eureka! tent and fly in fine condition, come by and talk to me on Tuesday morning after the crowds have departed. After the eclipse, we will head home via the Utah parks and hopefully spend a few nights on the delightful White Rim Road in Canyonlands NP. I will continue to hang out here on the forum, but my posting will be dramatically reduced. The members here feel very much like family, I can’t just go away. John Davies Spokane WA

ooops, Allow multiple answers for number 3. I am not sure how to do that within a single question, it might require individual questions for each item. John Davies Spokane WA

Still won’t work after NO. It requires answers for all. Just eliminate the first question entirely. We really don’t need to see how many owners never had an event happen. Add another question with repair cost ranges. John Davies Spokane WA

Any FIXED guard on the trailer will deflect the rocks back at the tow vehicle, causing chips and dents in the paint. In the worst case, it will smash tail lights or the rear window. https://rvdaily.com.au/how-to-keep-the-track-debris-off-the-front-of-your-trailer-part-two/ https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2504-how-to-stone-stomper-gravel-guard/ https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2505-how-to-subframe-gravel-guard/ Almost seven camping seasons and the trailer looks close to new top to bottom, and underneath too.. It is simply the best solution bar none.. John Davies Spokane WA

The top of the sewer compartment is non structural, if you plan to make a zee bracket you will also have to beef up the top of the diamond plate. The top of the bike rack crossbar would be fine, is that what you meant? The diamond plate surface is better, so you can remove the rack assembly without disturbing the support device. The fewer tools needed, the better. Of course your bracket will block access to the tire for servicing, but you can add a 36” extension hose with Schrader valve to help that. Of course you guys know all this would be a lot easier with that pesky cover off. Here is a 6061T6 2x2x1/4” reinforcing tie down angle pop riveted with 1/4” rivets at 4 “ spacing. The holes are 1/2” and accept 3/8” stainless carabiners. John Davies Spokane WA

Forgot, using nylon straps to secure all wheels to the trays will stiffen everything up. And if one bike should come fully loose, the straps will retain it. I like these a lot, like all the Raingler products, the quality and design are well above the average Amazon product. I use the 18” version with a double wrap. John Davies Spokane WA