John E Davies

Are you drinking the water out of the fresh tank? If so you probably should stop, then you won’t be worried about an occasional odd plastic taste. I typically leave my tank partially filled and then right before a trip I fill it and let the water run out the overflow for five minutes or more. That flushes out or dilutes most of the “stale” water. I don’t use a filter at home (chlorinated city water) but I always do when on the road. I have been using this for three seasons and it works great. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4376-7-cup-pur-water-pitcher-fits-neatly-in-pantry-affordable-filters/ FYI replacement filters are currently in short supply, buy a three-pack when the price is down to a reasonable figure, I keep several filters in reserve for this reason. John Davies Spokane WA

I am a little confused about where this convoluted discussion is headed, you do NOT need to disassemble the check valve , and I don’t think that is even possible without destroying it. Install the entire unit into the female hole of the new elbow, and discard the old straight reducer fitting. Unless your setup is different from mine on Hull 218. That is possible. Does yours look like the left side of the pic I posted? The other end of that check valve assembly has an internal flare that matches the flare of the crimped-on fitting of the gas hose, you can’t discard the fitting for that reason also. And you don’t use any sealant on those threads, they go together dry. The flares make the seal (and those threads are straight, not tapered pipe). I think I have some more pictures of that mod, I thought about starting a new How To thread, but never got around to it. Maybe I should go ahead with that…,.😀 John Davies Spokane WA

VBistro, you are holding a one way check valve. There is the spring that you can see in the cavity, plus a little piston down inside that you can't see. ). Do NOT discard them, just insert them back into the new 90 degree elbows. John Davies Spokane WA

That is called a street elbow or “street el” - I can’t recall the thread size, I think it is 3/8” pipe thread. I suggest that you unscrew the two fittings from one port of the regulator (there is a straight reducer and a special check valve fitting, that makes the switchover function work). Take them down to Ace Hardware and tell them you want to replace the straight one with a 90 degree one. Buy two, they need to be machined BRASS (not steel) and you also need some thread sealant intended for gas lines. Don’t use teflon thread tape, it might get into the check valve and maybe cause problems. Here is a generic picture of a street el. This closeup shows the “soft set” sealant, it sets up overnight. As with any pipe thread repair, you need to get out all the old hardened cruddy sealant, You can carefully use a sharp pick, or if you have a tap and die set, carefully run a tap into the holes, don’t get particles in the regulator or check valve. John Davies Spokane WA

Which cars will be left in the dust by next year’s 3G shutdown? Smartphones are getting faster, but some older cars may lose service forever. My LC200 is affected, but I have never even used any of those features, having bought it used. My brand new 2022 Acura is not on the list, but if I had bought a new 2021 car it would have required a wireless update to keep it operating. John Davies Spokane WA

Good luck to the seller, that is very cute and affordable. It is actually “Mouse” Hull 218. But to give FULL credit for its very creative source…… https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4854-ollie-model/ John Davies Spokane WA

Bill, do you mind sharing your reason for buying a 2WD Tundra? That seem as if it will be a big liability out West. I’ve lost count of the number of times 4WD has saved my bacon. Thanks, John Davies Spokane WS

I bet every owner has had this happen, one time, and then you learn and it probably won’t reoccur... For me it was in the middle of the night in my socks, I discovered the isolation “travel” valve was still closed when I ran water in the bath sink and it backed up out of the floor drain and soaked my feet. Many bad words!!! Get a black Sharpie and write “Push in for travel” right beside the handle. John Davies Spokane WA

I have never researched a booster, but they might be out there. If you succeed, please post a new thread with your review. Mine does fine, it goes through three sheet rocked walls and about 40 feet of distance. Sometimes I have to shift my phone a little, but normally I can connect from my big comfy chair easily enough. My round display monitor is mounted fairly high, about thirty inches off the cabin floor, the MPPT solar controller is buried under the street side bed, and that signal only goes half as far. John Davies Spokane WA

Were you actually on snow covered highways that first day? I don’t have the nerves for that. I pulled “Mouse” out just last week onto the 2 inches of dry snow on our driveway to reposition it inside the RV bay and was having trouble steering. I know that some members go skiing with their trailers, I just can’t get over that…. I would be completely freaked out. Count me as one more big fan of COE campgrounds, I love them. If you ever get to WA you can spend all summer in Lake Roosevelt Corps CGs in the east side of the state. John Davies Spokane WA

Here is a great review, from the point of view of a big motorhome. I do wish a nav unit could warn of "dead end no trailer turn around" situations. That is a feature that would be incredibly useful IMHO. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeReHXvyztA John Davies Spokane WA

I tried that, and the hose split wide open eventually at the sharp bend because the bumper was pushing on it too hard. lesson learned. Do not leave the hose connected while traveling John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks, that makes sense in a kind of warped way. I think it would have been a whole lot more logical to install a robust quick detach connector at the jack (like an Anderson Powerpole) and just have the one fuse in the back of the trailer, where the other two are located. Fuses are not real reliable, and having two in a circuit is generally a bad idea. If you are troubleshooting a dead jack, and check that front fuse and find it good, you might not know that you need to check the BACK one also. John Davies Spokane WA

If you will be boondocking for long periods, make sure you fully understand the limitations of the lithium battery packages. As delivered, your tow vehicle will not charge them, in fact Oliver leaves that 7-pin wire disconnected. You must add a special DC to DC charger to the trailer, which is not a huge deal, but it is something to consider. If you are hooked to shore power or a generator every few days, it becomes a non issue. It takes a whole lot of power to recharge a big (depleted) lithium battery bank. The solar array is insufficient. Four AGMs are pretty much maintenance free, but they can fail in just a few years and they weigh four times as much as a comparable lithium battery bank. As a former cyclist, that weight penalty really bugged me, and when I switched to two 100 AH Battle Borns (31 pounds each), I rejoiced at the tremendous weight saving. I used to study Performance and Bike Nashbar catalogs, choosing the component that would save me 100 grams. Saving over 200 pounds was a revelation, like angels singing. These trailers have ample payload, do not stress about reaching their limits. As Trainman commented, your choice of TV is far more important. John Davies Spokane WA

I suggest that you use a different kind of grease entirely, if yours is anything like mine. It needs to actually flow where it needs to go. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4094-how-to-vip-3000-electric-stabilizer-jack-service/ John Davies Spokane WA

Downloading detailed “offline” maps in any quantity takes a whole LOT of data and even more time. A fast wifi connection is best, and that is often a problem when you are on the road. In BC we had the hardest time finding ANY public wifi, and the commercial campgrounds had it, but it was about $5 per day and had a very low data limit. Enough for web browsing and maybe a low res movie download, but no more. The Provincial Parks have none at all. The USA is not as much a problem, but don’t expect to download a bunch of maps sitting outside of a Starbucks or public library, that isn’t viable. Neither are commercial CGs, they are usually so busy that their systems bog down and stall out. A stand-alone GPS never has these problems. Plus you have more time to enjoy your vacation without having to worry about a cell signal vanishing. John Davies Spokane WA .

I have been using an iPad Mini 4 for most of my navigating, using GAIA and Pocket Earth Pro. It works great, but I sure would like to stream the data to a Carplay display. Unfortunately Apple has some kind of weird licensing restriction, my iPhone will connect, but the tablet will not. No big deal you say? Here are two screen captures, centered on the same location and zoomed to the same scale. Here is the iPhone: Here is the iPad: Ignore the route and waypoints on the lower image, but you can see that it shows about three times as much area. So, does anyone that streams maps from a phone have a comment? Do you find the info adequate? I love Apple products, but this iPad restriction steams me up. BTW my LC200 doesn’t have Carplay, we just bought a new 2022 Acura RDX PMC edition, and it does have it. That will be our daily driver in fair weather, and I would really like to be able to use my phone to navigate with its Carplay interface. My wife won’t let me install a RAM iPad hard mount in her new car… I might end up trying this: https://www.rammount.com/product-lines/tough-wedge instead. John Davies Spokane WA

LIVE TRAFFIC AND WEATHER When paired with the Garmin Drive app on a compatible smartphone, live traffic helps you avoid delays and find detours. Also, view detailed weather forecasts, current conditions, animated radar and more. How well does this work? My old 660(?) requires a wired computer connection (not a portable device) to update maps and the traffic info requires a special bulky “antenna cable”. I paid $5 for the optional weather display (transmitted by the Garmin phone app) and was dismayed to see that it is a still image and only functions at a scale of 20+miles. That is totally useless for searching out thunderstorm cells in front of you…. Does the weather radar OVERLAY the current map and route, and can you zoom way in? I would buy a new one just for these features, and the ability to view in portrait mode would be nice. Oh yeah, and a functional voice command system would be great, mine is at best 50% accurate at recognizing words. At least it gets the country right, when we went up into BC last August it did say “What city in ….. Canada?” I have found that my “Garmin Gertie” is not the brightest kid on the block. FYI, in the past when a Garmin device becomes heavily discounted everywhere, it usually means a new model is close to being announced. You might want to hold off so that you have the latest technology. Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

I have an older Garmin RV gps, I quickly disabled all those functions and just use it as a regular nav unit. The Garmin RV functions are frustrating and irritating beyond belief, but actual navigation usability and up to date maps are a big plus.. I think that anyone relying on a phone app that requires cellular data will not be happy for long out west where it often fails, or in major parts of Canada where that simply doesn’t work at all. My 2013 Land Cruiser has a built in nav, I hardly ever use it because it is awkward and super expensive to update, requiring a dealer visit. If I had a truck with Carplay, I would stream GAIA to it….. John Davies Spokane WA

Invert a paper cup or bowl over the top of the 1/4” ball valve outboard from the Natures Head toilet. Otherwise you will poke yer eye out! Seriously, it comes out with a lot of force and will end up in your face. Don’t think “Hmmm, no worries, I will just crack it open a little” - that makes it WAY worse. Go ahead, ask me how I know😳 John Davies Spokane WA

Some 80 grit Wet or Dry sandpaper works fine, just be careful not to scratch the nearby shiny gelcoat. I wear gloves when I do it to finish off a cut hole. Those slivers are indeed glass, they are transparent and can be really difficult to see and extract. Ouch! Be sure to vacuum up any debris afterwards. John Davies Spokane WA

That dimming tape looks great, I might try it. You can kill the power to the radio and the “inside the window” antenna completely, in my hull 218 there is a switch type breaker in the rear “attic” cabinet, I don’t know where yours is. Please add your Hull number to a signature so we don’t have to ask. When I added extra USB charge ports, I intentionally picked versions that have no LEDs, they are very hard to find. All those lights are not just a nuisance, they create a parasytic electrical load, that runs down your batteries. The fewer there are (or the more you can switch off manually), the better, when you are boondocking. John Davies Spokane WA

My Hull 218 has an Air Command AC, it does not communicate with the furnace. Oliver installed a cheap mechanical stat (circa 1940, using a mercury switch) for that, it failed after three seasons and was very hard to adjust, so I replaced it with this Emerson digital one. It has been fine and it is easy to use and very precise, with a minimal dead band. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00204WWGE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 John Davies Spokane WA

I think it would be 100% crazy, but a 3M vinyl wrap in your choice of colors would look fine and also be 100% reversible. Lots of folks like the bright white walls and ceiling, me included. If you painted them, you would have a REALLY hard time selling the trailer. There are a lot of color choices, and also patterns like carbon fiber. Go for it! Rvinyl 3M 2080-G12 Vinyl Car Wrap Film Sheet Roll with Air Release Technology - 5ft x 1ft with Application Card, John Davies Spokane WA

I showed my LE2 to a guy who was 6’3” and he said the bathroom was a no go. You need to try one in for size. If I were your size I would find another trailer, at 5’10” mine is fine. John Davies Spokane WA