John E Davies

Chris, have you tried tightening the door latch? If seal is in good shape it should not leak around the door perimeter. If the seal is bad, replace it before adding a gutter. I did place a straight section directly across the top of the fridge upper vent, that looks like a place where water would enter at will. I have not needed to put any others other than around all the windows…. John Davies Spokane WA

The Victron shunts are great, that particular model, maybe not. I have read that in the past it has major Bluetooth connectivity issues.. But that may have been resolved. The one with remote display (BVM-712 Smart) doesn’t have any problems. Mine works from 75 feet away through four sheet rocked walls. Be sure to add the optional supply power/ temp sensor cable. It replaces the included single wire power cable. The yellow wire is the factory ground, it normally goes straight to the negative terminal nearby. The shunt goes in between, to measure current flow (both the discharge and the charge current). What brand is that shunt? the Aussie gear is generally top notch (Redarc in particular.) That factory wiring is a mess, ain’t it? Move everything inside to common bus bars or posts, it will be easy because you have no fat inverter cables. Put the smart shunt inside next to your new buses. I check my cables AND straps for security every week when traveling, it takes no tools; unlocking the door, opening, feeling for looseness, closing and relocking takes about twenty seconds. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5377-how-to-battery-feed-through-post-installation-reduce-the-clutter-in-the-battery-box-lithium-batteries-only/ John Davies Spokane WA

That is common with RV parts, a single OEM Dexter auto adjust electric brake with backing plate is about $65 (discounted online prices quoted). A cheap no name clone is half that. Manual adjust versions, which I much prefer, are cheaper still. OTH a pair of replacement Dexter shoes is $65. A spring and arm rebuild kit is $40+. All individual parts would be special order at a dealer…… From a customer standpoint it makes zero sense. For an RV dealer it is great, the service department can just swap assemblies, charge double for the parts (full MSRP) and say, see how much we saved you? Plus they offer a warranty, which doesn’t happen with a rebuild or repair. Save the good pump parts, put them into your ever increasing stash of RV spare parts, buy a new assembly. John Davies Spokane WA

Expected sensor life is actually seven years “powered on”, so perhaps a bit longer if you routinely disconnect the trailer batteries in the off season. But it still could be Tango Uniform after five years, check the actual manufacture date, there was another recent thread about this. Plus certain solvents and chemicals can damage the gas sensor, like excessive dog farts. I would just buy a new one and toss the unreliable one. I added a detector switch right next to it just for your situation….. there is an inline fuse under the street side bed, but mine was hard to find and not labeled. Well, it was labelled, “1 amp”, which is not helpful when you are trying to figure out how to kill power to that pesky alarm at 2:00 AM, with that bed occupied by a disgruntled spouse with her pillow held tight over her ears…. John Davies Spokane WA

Ralph, you can use any old decent quality lithium based chassis (general purpose) grease, but none of them are what you would call great products. I much prefer Redline CV2, it is FAR superior. You do need to flush out as much of the old black gunk as possible, I don't think there are any problems mixing them, but it is always smart to do that when changing lubrication chemistries. And write down the grease name and type on the frame where you or the next guy will see it, as a reminder. One thing I like is that the oil doesn't separate from the carrier nearly as much, so the suspension stays looking nice a little longer. A petroleum based grease seeps oil constantly, especially in hot temperatures, and that makes a huge mess over time, and I suspect that it is not good for the rubber Ezy Flex equalizer "bumpers". Red Line CV2 You are driving a Lexus, would you put crap grease in your truck?.... Me neither. John Davies Spokane WA

You need Starlink, no other system will reliably give you high speed connectivity in the wild. We just finished a four week trip into BC and Yukon, there were often four or more days before we were able to find an LTE connection that would give us even basic email and texts. Free wifi is practically nonexistant, and the few commercial CGs (that were open - MANY were shut down due to Covid) required paying, and the speed was very low anyway, with dropped connections. This may be an extreme example, but as you must be aware, there are VAST areas in the USA with zero cell coverage. My wife needs high speed connectivity, we will be an early adopter if Starlink mobile becomes available. The sooner the better! https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/starlink-update-first-shell-nearing-completion-next-gen-hardware-coming-still-not-mobile-friendly/ John Davies Spokane WA

This is not full service, but it is reservable, has electricity, and a dump station. I don't recall if there is water at the sites, but it is nearby if not. It is a very pretty lakeside setting, lots of recreational boats and jet skis during the day, but it is quiet once the sun goes down. It is very easy to access stuff in east Nashville like the Zoo and the most excellent Lane Motor Museum and downtown if you don’t mind fighting the very agressive Interstate traffic. Surface streets are nicer, but a lot slower. http://www.percy-priest-lake.com/anderson-road-campground/ Oops, it is closed for the season, sorry. My other comments hold true….. John Davies Spokane WA

Well, sort of, all the smaller wires should connect to the temporary battery positive and negative, with the exception of the two big inverter cables. Those can be taped and secured out of the way with some nylon ties. He can figure stuff out in detail later when he gets the trailer back home. A battery with eye type (drlled) terminal posts will be able to support all the cables, but it might require purchasing a couple of longer bolts. All the extra jumper cables can be stored away in a safe place, AFTER neutralizing any battery acid!!! Here is the 2017 schematic: On MY trailer #218 some ground wires were yellow. I have the optional (at the time) side solar port and that adds to the confusion. John Davies Spokane WA

You should be concerned, that is the function of a battery master switch, it completely cuts off the batteries in case of catastrophic failure or for service safety. Unfortunately it also kills every 12 volt device inside the hull, there is no way around that. In your shoes I would buy the cheapest single 12 volt battery I could find and install it until you get all this figured out. Good luck. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5450-how-to-battery-master-cutoff-switch-under-the-rear-dinette-seat/ John Davies Spokane WA

Well, that is disturbing, great power, but a butt ugly front…. Anybody considering this truck should wait a couple of years to see how this new powertrains will hold up. Does the Hybrid have the same tow capabilities as the standard engine? (I have been looking at the Acura MDX Hybrid, which has a tow rating of zero, seriously, that is a pretty large handicap in exchange for a 45% better city EPA rating….. ) OTH my idea of a dream pickup has solid axles front and back, so maybe nobody should pay attention to me about the Tundra. John Davies Spokane WA.

Use a mobile RV service, the tech will come to the storage location or your driveway and do it hassle free. Your repair is perhaps a cracked check valve, correct? That is a super simple repair IF you have the part at hand. Otherwise it might take two separate visits. Oliver may not pay for two service calls…. If you can remove the floor yourself and locate the leak, then the tech will know what part to bring, or you can get one shipped to you from TN. Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

An LE1 might be fine, if it is big enough. The LE 2 is in NO way an offroad trailer. But perhaps it would be best if you tell us what that term actually means to you. If you are talking about going high up in the San Juans, for example, you need an offroad truck camper or Sportsmobile 4x4 or similar….non-trailer. If this is not spam, Welcome to the forums. John Davies Spokane WA

Pat, keep in mind about 10% of your total weight is carried by the hitch, not the trailer tires. I just do not understand why, after so many years of complaints, Oliver continues to deliver these trailers with rock hard tires! And to the best of my knowledge they still do not inform new owners at delivery...This is very poor customer relations. Has the Owners Manual even been updated? John Davie

FYI any small shadowed portion of a solar panel will drastically reduce the current output. Something like a large leaf is big enough…. So the receptacle and cable on Bill’s unit should theoretically and ideally be located on the underside, not on top as shown in that picture. If the panel has a full exposure during the day it doesn’t matter, but in winter with short days and a limited exposure due to trees or buildings, it might matter. OTH if the battery charging has been satisfactory…. never mind. I am making an assumption that it is screwed into the frame there and not just propped up for the photo…. John Davies Spokane WA

Wow, that was a tough one!!! It took me ten minutes to find that figure….. I am really glad you did not have to pay their current market value. I had a poster of a 250 GTO on my wall for maybe twenty years, what luscious cars. Listen here. The Ferrari 250 GTO Speaks For Itself John Davies Spokane WA

Just my opinion, but is is going to be really easy to find any old 3/4 ton with enough payload, but most old half tons are probably going to be marginal in that department, just as are the new ones. And older trucks are down on power, so a bigger truck is more likely to have a stouter engine. Besides, if they drive around in a rough riding older truck, it will make their transition to a new one all the sweeter. John Davies Spokane WA

I think that waiting is best from a financial standpoint, but that is going to be really hard to deal with emotionally. It might make sense to either have your Ollie delivered to your home (hopefully you have a spot to park it) and use it as a party house for a while, or else talk a friend with a suitable TV into going to the delivery with you for a free vacation trip. Or buy an old beater used 3/4 ton pickup with the idea of trading or selling it when you can buy a new truck that you really want. Don’t discount a 10 or 15 year old truck - other than comfort and safety features it will do perfectly fine. A half ton of that age, probably not. Tow ratings were much lower then. We have been looking at used SUV prices, my wife wants to sell her car. While this is a terrific time to sell, it is not at all a buyers market. https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2020/06/now-might-be-a-good-time-to-sell-your-car/ Wait if you can, otherwise, just pay the extra and move on. Life is too short to stress over fluctuating prices in the car market. It is what it is. Add your location to a signature. And tell us where you plan to travel and how you want to camp. It helps when asking for advice. John Davies Spokane WA

I am sure that somebody with one of your inverter/ chargers will chime in, but you can adjust the charge rate to the batteries, default is 150 amps I believe, if yours is the 3000 model.. That probably is way too high a setting for your generator to handle. Go into the configuration settings and change it to 50 amps, see if the generator will stay online. If so, increase the setting higher until it won’t stay on. Go back say 10 amps and call it good. This is off the top of my head. Be aware that turning down the charge rate for use with your too small generator also affects when you are hooked up to shore power. If yours is the Harbor Freight Predator, it only puts out 1600 watts continuous, about 13 amps, that is very marginal for charging a large lithium battery bank. John Davies Spokane WA

Another pic from that thread shows a clear lexan (?) cover over those copper (?) battery bus bars, probably to prevent accidental damage from somebody thinking they are battery pull handles 😳. If it were my installation I would have prominent NO GRAB labels on all four of them. You have to build for the worst case scenario, which includes an owner who is tired, inebriated, and possibly standing in the rain at night with a flashlight gripped in his teeth. You can sort of see the aircraft Dzus quick release fasteners that hold it on. That is very high end design work.. https://files.southco.com/static/documents/brochures/201808-BR-Quick-Access-Fasteners_EN.pdf This illustrates that you probably are getting your money’s worth for the $250,000 base price (including $70k truck allowance and the aluminum ute bed.) John Davies Spokane WA

The original pictures I downloaded are higher res than the ones on the forum. Here you go…. I flipped and cropped it. I am not 100% sure why they chose that particular product, but the quality is top notch. John Davies Spokane WA

(FYI they service the old XP Camper models.) “With 60 some campers in the field we find ourselves doing quite a bit of service and upgrades. One of the more significant upgrades we offer is our comprehensive electrical system refit. We gut the entire electrical bay and install a custom Victron/Blue Sea/Sterling system with BattleBorn LiFePO4 batteries. It's a big, complex upgrade but ends up performing, and looking, amazing. The Victron Color Control consolidates all the controls and information into one easy to use intelligent display, making monitoring your electrical vitals a snap. You can also monitor and control everything by Bluetooth on your phone or even access and control it via the internet (great for monitoring when stored).” https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/nimbl-vehicles-build-thread.214598/page-3 One can only dream…… John Davies Spokane WA

LOL, sod laid directly on top of compacted gravel. What a hoot! Did Oliver really accept that as an acceptable installation? I have a bridge for sale…. I am in no way impressed. “Once the existing plant life dies, till and rake the ground. This loosens the dirt and uncovers any buried rocks. Use a rototiller to quicken the process. Your prepped dirt should be at least 6 inches deep. That way, your sod will grow into deeply rooted grass Your bare lawn must be level. The ground should be 1 inch below the level of any sidewalks, patios or protruding sprinkler heads. Otherwise, the edges of your new lawn will degrade as the turf gets walked on and pressed down.” https://www.homedepot.com/c/ah/how-to-lay-sod/9ba683603be9fa5395fab90b32edd1e John Davies Spokane WA

That is a scary story, especially the reader comments, but it is no surprise to anybody who has every looked in the hidden areas of a stick and staple trailer. I had a 1988 Nash that was an unmitigated disaster and I vowed to never buy another RV. After that I had a 1990 Sea Ray 270 Sundancer boat, a “premium” brand, that was way worse. I bought “Mouse” after reading about Ollies and seeing them in the flesh. No regrets at all after five seasons. OTH Oliver still uses mostly the same crappy, built to the lowest cost appliances and suspension parts, though they are beginning to transition to better stuff, gradually. But I doubt that they could sell very many units if they ditched the propane appliances and the base price went up by at least $20k…. The only way to get a truly high quality, trouble free RV is to spend $300k on something like a Terranova or a Nimbl. The latter was originally XP Camper, and like so many other niche manufacturers of very high quality RVs, they went bankrupt after three or four years with no warning. It is really really hard to sell real quality here in the USA. Most buyers, bring uneducated and for the most part unmotivated to research the details, want cheap units, three slideouts and electric faux fireplaces. Nothing else matters. Then they cry in the forums when the water pours in and they disintegrate before their eyes on the first trip. What the RV industry does not want is consumer protection lemon laws and motorhome crash safety standards. It would literally destroy it. I don’t understand why they are completely exempt. Yay Oliver! I will replace the crap as it fails with better marine grade stuff. The bones - the hull and frame - are top notch. John Davies Spokane WA

Use electricity for everything at a 30 amp hookup, you can run all the appliances including your fridge and air conditioner. Why waste your propane when you have already paid for 110 volt power? If you are hooked up to 15 amps, you must ration the usage carefully or the campsite breaker will overload and trip. If you need AC you can’t run the fridge or the water heater too, but maybe the converter can run, depending on the type and how much current it draws. The later lithium inverter chargers use a lot more current than an older style 45 amp dc converter. John Davies Spokane WA

Cute doggie! That is a great size for traveling, how old is he? That sod looks close to dead, they need to get water on it ASAP or it will all need to be redone next spring. Do you know if they plan to plant some shade trees? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA