John E Davies

I was not implying that Dexter brakes are junk, just drum brakes in general. Well, some Dexter parts are junk, like their China made bearings and seals, and the chafe-prone undersized cross- axle wiring. And their “Nev-R adjusters” that often don’t adjust. I have struggled with hydraulic, electric and surge drum brakes for fifty years, both on my trucks and my trailers. I am not new to this. If you have had great experiences with them, I am glad for you, consider yourself lucky. John Davies Spokane WA

Would spraying silicone lube down into the rubber gasket help? That plus rocking should be enough, without having to lose your temper. Bad things often happen when you get mad. John Davies Spokane WA

My understanding is that white pvc degrades in time from sunlight exposure, becoming yellow and more brittle. I see white vent pipes sticking out of all the houses, including my own. I guess for waste and radon vents that is not a worry, but for other uses it might be. That has nothing to do with toilet flanges, but it is an interesting fact. I once made a compressed air spud cannon with a 2 inch bore with Schedule 40 pvc, in retrospect that was probably an unwise choice for a device that was used outdoors, banged around, and pressurized to 100 psi. It never blew up, but I got worried about it eventually and scrapped it….. John Davies Spokane WA

We have been asking this for many years. I ordered mine (Hull 218) with an Atwood Air Command 9.5k as a zero cost custom option, it is way more quiet. They no longer do requests like this, but I do not understand why they continue to use the noisy brand which NOBODY likes. John Davies Spokane WA

Albert, welcome to the forum. Especially if you are brand new to towing, you might want to seriously reconsider towing above the posted limit. There are members here who have talked about towing at 85 mph, and that makes me shudder. The Oliver brakes are typical trailer junk, so you need to be aware of that too. When working properly, they are just barely adequate. But usually they don’t work well….. Plus you burn a whole lot of extra fuel. The Andersen hitch is very easy to install, and you will find it discounted online, so take it off your order build sheet. What is Oliver charging for an installed one? I have seen the hitch itself for as low as $512 delivered. Use the money you save to buy a generator😀 John Davies Spokane WA

Was this what you had in mind? I love the tow vehicle. Or this?: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6238-stone-stomper-in-the-muck-stewart-cassiar-hwy-british-columbia/ John Davies Spokane WA

I agree, there are no issues other than kneeling with your head upside down for long periods; use a foam knee pad!. I do recommend that you do NOT run the cables straight back along the tongue. Instead, add a weatherproof junction box with a small fuse and a ground terminal post. That way if you wreck the front of the big cable somehow, you will only need to replace or repair the front four feet. A big Anderson Powerpole pair will theoretically unplug itself if you drive away with the trailer unhitched, but you never know. Here is what I did for the 7 wire cable, after I needed some extra length. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2688-how-to-junction-box-for-trailer-harness-repair-or-extend-the-harness/ Please be aware you have to run two cables, not just a single positive. And I would go larger than 4 AWG, to reduce the voltage drop to zero and for robustness, and for future upgrades. The difference in cost between 4AWG and 0 or 00 gauge is not too much., When you get into the really huge cables like the 4/0 ones, that can get costly. I paid around US$8 per foot for that, if I recall correctly. Please post a pic of your truck, it sounds cool as heck. I hear you about not boondocking much, I recently competed a 4500 mile jaunt up BC and into YT, and was struck by how little access to forest lands there is; compared to the USA there are hardly any forest roads, and the ones that are there are being actively logged and have very heavy truck traffic. Mile after mile after mile of forest, and no side tracks off the highway whatsoever, that is very weird for me. Actually, I did see a few, and they were brushy double tracks, with a stop sign, which IMHO was very polite of the DOT. But they were not something I would venture down except with an ATV and several cans of bear spray.. John Davies Spokane WA

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00IOEFBKS?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title Though I admit to rarely using it, mostly I just grab the broom. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01ASYZSVI/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It collapses and tucks away neatly in the closet using a single Command tool holder. John Davies Spokane WA

Perry, this topic has been around for many years and lots of people have asked your exact question. You need to contact Oliver Sales, if enough people push for an option, very often it becomes available. That is how it works…. I somehow thought that units exported to Canada required them, but I might be mistaken. The design posted here by Minnesota Oli is simply beautiful, but it requires machine tools and very good fabrication skills. You can do your own in an simpler way if you are reasonably handy. Several owners have copied this. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2513-how-to-rear-mud-flaps-for-the-ollie/ John Davies Spokane WA

“Mouse” is pretty well equipped for stuff, but I guess a clay bar and Rejex job for the outside, and maybe a couple of thirty minute mods…… I want to put in a power switch for the radio head to kill the panel lighting and parasitic draw, and grind off those nasty sharp corners on the inside bath door handle, I laid my head open on it a couple of months back and said a lot of nasty words as I bled copiously all over the floor. I am watching for a sale on Element E50 extinguishers, but those are not for the trailer. I am hoping that my son will 3D print a Land Cruiser 200 model for me, to match the Ollie model he made last year. If that happens I will update that thread with more pics…. John Davies Spokane WA

Bumping this thread, I am keeping an eye out for possible Black Friday sales, since I want to buy three more of these for Christmas gifts. The manufacturer did have a BF event a few years back, however I do not know if that is common. So, if anyone sees these discounted with free shipping anywhere, such as at Expedition Portal, please post a heads up message here. https://elementfire.com/collections/allproducts Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

LOL, thanks, I guess that is good for testing the solar panels before departure, for brand new owners. But old timers might appreciate some afternoon cooling in July. John Davies Spokane WA

So, if you need to get some service work, will they come out with a forklift and tow it inside directly from your spot? How far away is the actual service entrance? That would be convenient, if you planned on a road trip to Shiloh or the Opry. Has anyone mentioned shade trees? Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

Ralph, thanks for the very kind words. No, I never did anything about the tongue, however I did extend the Andersen “rack”, for a while they offered a +3” version, though it is no longer shown at their website. John Davies Spokane WA

FYI, place a 12 inch bungee cord on top of the ball mount, and hook the ends to your chains. No more dragging and rusting! That is a nice clean setup, I like it. John Davies Spokane WA

It's N2, nitrogen. Helium would make the trailer lighter 🙂 And there is no need to get rid of it, just top up with regular air (which is 78% N2) as needed. I used to use nitrogen all the time, on airplanes. I agree it is a gimmick for normal cars. John Davies Spokane WA

Welcome to the forums! Get the larger "rack" (stinger), if you install a sleeve it will provide more room for rattles and clunks. Its is always best to keep the number of parts to a minimum. But I have to ask, why are you even bothering with the Andersen? It is NOT needed with a HD pickup. Try towing with a simple dead weight ball and drop mount, rated for 7000 pounds or more. It will most likely be perfectly fine. Sell your Andersen on Craigslist. John Davies Spokane WA

Alternatively, you could change the coupler so it doesn't have that shin knocker latch. https://www.etrailer.com/Straight-Tongue-Trailer-Coupler/Bulldog/BD028444.html John Davies Spokane WA

You used to be able to buy an “extended” rack, it added 3” to the length of the part that plugs into the receiver. That is what I did with my LC200 to provide tailgate clearance, that was about spring 2018….. You might check with Andersen to see if it is still offered, even though it is not shown on the website, there might be some leftover stock, or they might even build you a custom one. Since this is a problem with a very common tow vehicle, it seems like they should offer that part, since it is a 100% fix. They are in Idaho Falls ID, stop by there with a mess of doughnuts. That works wonders….. It would not hurt to ask for their assistance. https://help.andersenhitches.com/faq/can-you-build-a-custom-weight-distribution-hitch-to-fit-my-receiver https://help.andersenhitches.com/ Or if you have a local welder or steel fabricator that you REALLY trust, have him make one. It is a simple matter to cut off the old shank, and weld on a longer one plus vertical gussets. John Davies Spokane WA

That is pretty neat, since you are in Phoenix, how are those batteries holding up the the intense heat? VHB tape is pretty darn strong, but keep a very close eye on those parts that are directly over the manufacturer’s stickers, those may come loose. Removing the stickers first would make for a stronger bond. Can you post a pic that shows the hold down straps? Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

If you do locate a better quality shock, please start a new thread with that information. I am sure there are many owners who would like to upgrade. It is a specialized RV shock, maybe OME offers one, but I would not count on it. The only stout trailer shocks I have ever seen, that are short, have eyes at both ends, rather than these straight shafts. Here are the specs for the Monroe 555001, BTW do not pay that much! That is double the typical street price. I don’t know when they changed from yellow to black, the latter will be much harder to inspect for a leak. I sure wish we could get this suspension on an Ollie. John Davies Spokane WA

Yes, it comes undrilled. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3483-how-to-upgrade-the-bulldog-coupler-and-andersen-hitch-to-2-516/ John Davies Spokane WA

That is somewhere in Florida, I grabbed it at random of the Net. June bugs are all over the south, to a degree. There is nothing quite like having one impact your motorcycle helmet face shield at 80 mph. They are really big hard shelled beetles. They make a nasty splat, and the juice corrodes your paint. That is not so easy to get off. Especially off a bicycle. You can cover bikes on the back of a vehicle, but that is not at all possible in front, your engine will overheat.. John davies Spokane WA

A tire change on either Ollie is dead simple if you use the onboard electric jacks as they were originally intended, as jacks. As far as the rest of your assertions, having towed my double axle off pavement, I will pass on discussing that. These trailers are not suitable as delivered. IMHO. John Davies Spokane WA

Does anyone else think that fat tire e-bike setup is just plain wrong for a light duty pickup ? Other than the visibility restriction and the severe blocking of airflow to the radiator, and the destructive effect of water and road debris on the bikes, and the bug buildup …. June bugs ….. , I guess it does add weight to the front axles…. And I guess removing the seats would help a little in terms of seeing a small child in a crosswalk. So, give it half a star for creativity? Out of ten? Am I being too harsh? . . . Nah, I don’t think so. John Davies Spokane WA