John E Davies

That hold-down design is only as strong as its weakest link. If you make the strap stronger, it might simply pull the lower screw out of the fiberglass. If in fact that is how it is secured, can somebody post a pic? You need to look at the whole setup, can you beef up the bottom where it attaches? Maybe put a full loop over the top and secure it on two sides? You could even go as far as installing a plastic covered steel cable with a turnbuckle…. but that is probably way overkill. I think the Mother Ship needs to get involved, because this does not appear to be an isolated occurrence. John Davies Spokane WA

I thought that looked interesting, but if one (or both) axle shackle snaps over center, as mine do too often, it could bust the impact tool. John Davies Spokane WA

T-Oliver, how do you like the big disk brakes? Touchy at all? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Depends…… Most likely it would be required due to the TW and also to minimize passenger discomfort on bumpy roads. I would order it, for sure. There are countless Andersen hitch threads, search and do some reading. It is the only WD hitch approved by Oliver. https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/content/dam/brand_ford/en_us/brand/resources/general/pdf/brochures/17RV&TT_Ford_Expedition_Sep7.pdf John Davies Spokane WA

9200 is plenty, just pack more of your stuff in the trailer, keeping in mind that your tongue weight goes up proportionally (about 10%). NOT buying the tongue tray helps in this regard, keep the TW as low as practical. You still may run out of cargo load capacity in the Ford, but the towing number is fine. Try it for a season, then decide if it is going to be good long term TV. FYI if you don’t need all that extra seating, remove the third and possibly second row seats and store them. Together that might give you another 150 pounds of cargo load. Plus more actual space…. Install a cargo barrier and be safe. These are most excellent. They weigh nothing and can be rolled down and stored on the floor when not needed. https://raingler.com/collections/ford-expedition/products/1997-2017-ford-expedition-behind-front-seats-barrier-divider-net John Davies Spokane WA

Have you pretty much explored the east part of the USA? If not, do some lingering there and then haul @ss to California, because much of the air in the northern West is going to be nasty from wood smoke. If you decide to linger in the West, Glacier would be a great spot to spend three days or more. But all the National and State Parks are insanely busy, there are RVs everywhere. So you need reservations, unless you want to risk boondocking. If you can find a primitive spot by Thursday noon, ride out the weekend there and then proceed on Monday. (By early September the schools will be back in session and the mid-week family campers will be gone.) https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3627-glacier-national-park-post-season/ If one of you is 62, do you already have a Geezer Pass for free access to Federal Parks and 50% off camping? Campendium and Ultimate Campgrounds will be very helpful. Fourteen days to do 3500+ towing miles does not leave much free time to just hang out and relax, can you take a little extra? I am sorry to sound so negative, your travel date is not at all good….. this is a rough and tough camping season for a fast cross country trip. John Davies Spokane WA

I found a great place to stash my (hot) heat gun while installing the EZE RV gutter over the rear hatch …. inside my flag pole holder. The newly repaired one, after I backed it into the stonework of my house 🙄 John Davies Spokane WA

Update, I bought some 16x24x1” filters to try, instead of the too-long 25” ones, they fit much better though you still cannot get the window latch closed, however the glass closes all the way now, so there should be no water leaks. So I went ahead and completed sealing the other two windows, and trimmed two more filters, now I have a great way to pull in clean air when the smoke is bad. When not in use, they are covered by a 13 gallon white drawstring trash bag, inside the closet next to the outer wall. John Davies Spokane WA

I am fairly sure that top screw is one for the access panel, there is no reason to not reuse it, or the lower one that screws into the fiberglass. Either can be replaced with a larger diameter one if the hole is stripped (enlarged). That tiedown is cheap “hardware strap”, intended for securing a residential water heater to a wall (tipover) and for really light weight HVAC ducts. I would look for a more satisfactory (or at least heavier gauge) material to replace it. Or double it back over itself, or to a second anchor point at the bottom. John Davies Spokane WA

…. Without discoloring the white plastic or making them look uglier? I worry about hurting myself when washing the Ollie. I thought about using an old school electric soldering gun, but that will probably turn it black. Has anyone done this, or can you point me to an FAQ or a link? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

This is a really hard choice, I love my LE2 but if I were solo, I would have gotten the smaller trailer, definitely! My LC 200 tows the LE2 OK, but it would be very stellar with the LE1. You need to think about where you will take it, some of the National Park campsites like at Glacier, are really really tight, you simply can’t fit the bigger trailer into a whole lot of them. Same with old state parks, the sites are cramped and trees get in the way. A little trailer opens up a whole lot more possibilities outside of newer established campgrounds and RV Parks. The LE1 will be way better on rough forest roads and public land tracks. John Davies Spokane WA

The more weight there is on the front axle, the more you feel the road surface and what is happening there. Especially on twisty highways. A too light front will cause understeer, the tire tread skids in turns instead of tracking in the right direction. This is dangerous and un-nerving, and it can wear the front tires quickly if you don’t correct it. The truck should feel “planted” and not skittery. If you never drive on twisty highways you may never notice this. But a properly weighted front will feel more secure in all situations. Add a quarter turn to the big nuts, drive that way for a day or two, repeat. You can feel the change. Don’t blindly accept whatever setting the Ollie tech decided was “right” for your truck. Mark the nuts with a black Sharpie and count the threads when you get it dialed in. Shifting heavy cargo in the truck forward has the same effect, don’t stow your tools and cast iron cookware right at the tailgate! https://www.thedrive.com/cars-101/39818/what-is-understeer I call Idaho “Land of Decreasing Radius Turns”, many of the valley highways closely follow rivers and some of the turns have an un-nerving design where you are settled into a nice even smooth turn, then with no warning it snaps tighter toward the end. A gps set to 0.2 mile scale will show the true shape of these turns, and will help reduce swearing and keep your britches clean…. This is educational, but don’t tow like this😬 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xyRNLluVKk4 John Davies Spokane WA

I saw that the other day, I don’t quite understand why a miner would not have a proper self defense firearm in a “bear caliber” …. and/ or a satellite communicator. I have no sympathy for the guy, whatsoever. He is a loser who is very lucky to be alive. John Davies Spokane WA

There are definitely more than two, but I have not counted. Read here…. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2424-sacrificial-zinc-anodes-on-the-frame-checking-and-replacing/ Here is a pic somebody posted there. John Davies Spokane WA

I have not, but it looks quite interesting. The Lander area is beautiful, as are the Wind River Mountains, but it is crazy busy in summer. There is a wonderful mustang preserve, Wind River Wild Horse Sanctuary, close by, we visited a couple of years ago, and went on an ATV tour out to meet the wild animals up close. If you don’t care for horses, don’t bother…. BTW Dubois is pronounced DEW-boys. not that panty-waist French pronunciation. 😬 FYI if you like urban boondocking, the city park in Lander is quite nice. My waypoint comments: “Free RV spaces, public toilets, no hookups,. tel:307-332-4647, NICE, NEXT TO POPO AGIE R, REASONABLY SECURE, lots of space, no sign in. Max 3 days.” And Popo Agie is pronounced Puh-PO-zha. The Sinks are cool, a few miles up the canyon. I spent an entire summer at the geology field camp further along, and drove that road daily. There are lots of camping areas up high in the National Forest. Most of the open land on the valley floor is Wind River Reservation, and not accessible. If you are headed up north be sure to visit the Buffalo Bill firearms museum in Cody. Upper Sunshine Reservoir near Meeteetse has 5 star boondocking. Cody is even crazy busier than Lander. Don’t even think of camping there unless you have reservations at the state park or an RV park. John Davies Spokane WA

For your viewing entertainment, here are the Top Gear guys driving beater 4x4s up Bolivia’s Death Road. Nearly 15,000,000 views so far 😬 You gotta watch out for those white Land Cruisers…… That kind of reminds me of Going to the Sun Road in Glacier. Bolivia's Death Road | Top Gear | BBC John Davies Spokane WA

I really like that website, do you know of a similar one for BC? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Interesting comments, I would drive that “Hill” with no worries at all, except for those darned blind single lane sections. The forest roads around here are much worse. One I can think of is the 4000 ft drop into the Salmon River valley east of Riggens ID. I would use 4 Low for both the descent and the climb back up. No diesel brake…. I have never used one so I can’t comment on how well it works under 10 mph. But in inclement weather I would not try it, imagine mud, fog, sharp hairpin turns and 16 percent washboard. No thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Has anybody driven the entire length of Hwy 20 from Williams Lake to Bella Coola, 280 miles, via “The Hill”? This is a 5000 foot gravel descent over 9 miles with extreme grades and very tight hairpin turns. I am exploring options for side adventures. This is grizzly bear country, once you descend down to the coast, it will take a lot of convincing to get my wife to agree to camp there….. There is still some doubt that the town will even be open to visitors, they shut down completely due to Covid. https://www.hellobc.com/places-to-go/great-bear-rainforest/ Thanks for any comments. John Davies Spokane WA

I tow slow, mainly because I have been scared far too many times by wildlife crossing the road. Last summer I crested a blind hill to find three huge elk standing in the center of the two lane highway. Once you have experienced a panic stop like that you won’t even consider 80 mph, regardless of how many fences there are along the shoulder. If you do choose to tow fast, make very sure that your trailer brakes are actually working correctly. And have you ever even tried a full on emergency brake test? That will wake up any passengers….. Normally I cruise at 62 mph, it seems to be the sweet spot in terms of power, minimal downshifts and keeping up with traffic. I avoid Interstates entirely, unless I have no other choice. The fast guys are very welcome to pass me. I won’t mention mpgs, it is too embarrassing. Land Cruisers are known gas hogs because of the full time 4wd system, high ground clearance and lack of aerodynamic add-ons. John Davies Spokane WA

The only reason a drawer will launch is if it is full of heavy stuff and it has momentum. If it gets moving and then hits the end of its travel, it can and will break stuff. With a non- elastic strap it can’t move more than an inch at most. So no force to speak of. With properly sized pilot holes, you don’t need any nuts. But OTH if it would make you feel better, install machine screws and self locking nuts. A bungee works but IMHO it should be fairly strong so the drawer won’t overwhelm it in a panic stop. Plus there is always a risk of injury or damage if the strap gets away from you. I installed a new drawer front with chrome latch like the pantry, it was sent to me free when I made a claim to Service, so I don’t need a strap for that location. Please add your hull number to a signature, it helps with finding the right answer for you. John Davies Spokane WA

The air quality is really variable, it is great here at this time (31) but was 175 yesterday for a few hours. The Windy app will show the next four days of smoke if you select the Air Quality layer. I use the PM2.5 setting since that is smoke particles. Here is right now: And here is four days from now: I can’t recommend camping in Idaho or Montana unless you have no respiratory sensitivities and also have a HEPA filter to run inside the Ollie. There is about half a million acres burning in WA state alone. It is not a good time to be headed downwind from that. BTW the GAIA nav app has a current wildfire layer in the Pro version, it is quite useful but I have found that it is not very current, you should always refer to a wildfire website map. I find this whole issue to be very distressing. I have smoke allergies and it really makes me miserable. John Davies Spokane WA

I just reinstalled a bottle and checked my hoses, one is leaking at the crimp. They are going on five years old and are rock hard. This is the part, shipping is expensive. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PM95NEM/?coliid=I20IDOXDDJULOK&colid=1X5H11EH41351&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it I found an eBay source and ordered two for $40 delivered. I would not buy a steel braided one for a couple of reasons. You cannot inspect the rubber to see if it is deteriorating, and no name brands are more likely to fail, with poor quality construction and materials. There is no reason to buy a steel braided hose unless it is to reduce chafing. I also ordered a couple of brass 1/4” pipe thread “street elbows”, I am going to install them between the regulator body and the small internal check valve fitting that the hose connects to, to give a better angle at that connection. The OEM setup puts a severe strain on the hose because it has to twist sharply. Edit, still waiting on new hoses, but I went ahead and installed the 90 degree elbows. Here is a shot showing the OEM setup and the modified setup. The latter lets the hose lie naturally without that horrible tight reverse bend. It also gives a little extra clearance for removing the bottle. John Davies Spokane WA

I am almost finished with bathroom vents, to allow airflow out the roof fan with both the window and the door closed. I took this shot over the door a little while ago, right after I sealed the wood core with spar varnish, I thought is was kind of “UFO cool”. I also added a set of holes into the closet to vent the trapped heat that accumulates in the top. John Davies Spokane WA

It is still is not definite, the US government has not agreed to opening the border, so we might get INTO Canada, but might not be allowed into Alaska, or back into the other 48 States. I hope this is settled in the next week. White House won't commit to reopening northern border, despite announcement from Canada I am not a risk taker. My wife was stranded in New Zealand with my daughter sixteen months ago by Covid, it destroyed their vacation and it was not clear if they would even be allowed to fly home…. I don’t want a repeat of that situation. Though I can think of worse situations than getting stuck in the Yukon in an Ollie. unless it extends into winter. John Davies Spokane WA