John E Davies

Fortunately I rarely use dump stations and when do, I try to time it so nobody else is around. I never ever top up my fresh water there. That is so very gross. People are such idiots. Our first night in “Mouse” was at the local RV park outside of Howenwald, I can’t recall the name at the moment, and the fresh water tap was buried under ground in the same nasty hole as the sewer connection 😳 That got my attention. I did not connect either hose that night. Are there not building codes there? John Davies Spokane WA

I am not sure if Oliver will in the near future continue to install the old style “legacy” Zamp panels, but they are very heavy, have lots of drag and are super ugly - dorky IMHO and they ruin the lines of a gorgeous hull. If I were to choose equipment for a new installation it would most likely be the new Obsidian panels. They are very expen$ive…. I would prefer flexible ones bonded tightly to the roof but they have their own set of issues like scratching and cooking the underlying surface. https://www.zampsolar.com/pages/obsidian-series-solar-panels The new panels have much better connectors than the horrible SAE reverse polarity things they use in the old panels, but the new ones are still non-standard, which continues to perplex me. IMHO of course, I am pretty picky about how I spend money. I do think you will eventually end up with roof solar, for Western camping that is a great help. Maybe in a year or two, after the incredible RV Sales Rush has ended, those Obsidians will be cheaper. And in stock to purchase😬 John Davies Spokane WA

While connecting a portable solar panel to the 7 pin connecter does work, it is not at ALL ideal, the distance back to the batteries is FAR too great. And on my Hull 218 the ground wire was undersized for part of the way, 14 AWG instead of 12. There has to be a two way path for the current, it doesn’t matter if there is a big charge wire if the ground is too small. You need to plug a portable one in as close as possible to the batteries. Use large wires (10 AWG at least) and keep them short. And mount the controller remotely, close to or inside the trailer, not on the panel itself, if you have lithiums, or the charging will be inadequate. My roof panels have been trouble free after the initial issue with the knobs falling off. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2066-how-to-install-safeties-on-the-solar-panel-mount-knobs-important/ John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks for posting, FYI the link on the first line of the post is not working, however the one lower down is fine. John Davies Spokane WA

Let’s not forget that you should make a correction to “today’s” dollars to be meaningful. John Davies Spokane WA

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9737581/Gas-stations-running-fuel-ahead-holiday-weekend-amid-truck-driver-shortage.html I am staying inside my air conditioned home for a while (110 degrees predicted today) but I will be doing a trip just after the 4th, but it is a local one that doesn’t require much fuel…. Refill before it gets much below 1/2 unless you have a monster cruising range. Stay cool, stay safe, don’t run out of gas! John Davies Spokane WA

This issue depends a WHOLE lot on where you live and camp. Around the arid parts of the West it simply isn’t a worry because the humidity is so low outside. However, you should never button everything up tight.There are a dozen 1/2” moisture drain holes in the belly of an LE2 which are always seeping in some fresh air. But even on super cold or super hot days you should have some sort of forced or convective ventilation operating to extract moisture. Cracking a roof vent and a side window is enough. If you live where it rains often, or camp in the dead of winter, this is a lot harder to do. For sure, if you are showering or boiling a pot of water, there should be a fan running. And stop breathing, that will eliminate a lot of moisture……😬 John Davies Spokane WA

There is no reason that it won’t work fine, you can use Andersen’s fit guide to calculate how much drop you will need, they sell these kits with a 4” and 8” drop/ rise. And it is possible to cut off excess material if it sticks down (or up) further than you like. I removed a couple of inches with a hand hacksaw from my 4” drop setup…. it is just mild steel. http://download25.mediafire.com/pp4s6bkqjheg/fhaushj8nvexsvx/WD+Hitch+Fitment+Guide+2021.pdf If you do need the 8” version you should coordinate with Service to make sure they have one when you take delivery. My bet is the 4” will be fine. I like your Xterra, it looks very capable. John Davies Spokane WA

He was trying to make a sale, buyer beware! A fully loaded LE2 is 7000 pounds. The earlier hulls tend to be lighter than current models because they came with more options (less standard equipment) so you might encounter a stripped down one that is lighter than average. But “fully loaded” means “at gross weight” (aka GVWR) - so regardless of the dry weight a fully loaded trailer will always be 7000… it is the payload that varies. Oliver claims the 2022 LE2 is “4900 lbs dry”, but options like four big lead acid batteries, solar panels and the extra awning really stack on the extra weight. My moderately optioned 2017 had an “as delivered” dry weight of 5140. It is very easy to tell by the payload sticker if a seller is trying to blow smoke up your posterior. John Davies Spokane WA

For years and years I would “price shop” all the different tire stores, what a waste of my time! Discount Tire stores will price match other local companies, but I hardly ever find tires cheaper elsewhere and their service is simply stellar. Now when I need tires or tire service I head straight there without a second thought. I have never bought anything from TireRack.com but I use their site regularly to research tests and user reviews. I have not found a better place for that info. Many years ago Coopers were only sold through dedicated Cooper dealers which were pretty rare. The local one quoted me a very high price on four Discoverer STT tires, I went by Discount and although at the time they did not stock any Coopers, they were happy to order a set at a substantial savings. Now the manager greets me by my first name when I walk in😳 John Davies Spokane WA

Of course it does, by its very design it binds up the motion between coupler and ball. This is why it (or any WD hitch) isn’t recommended at all for actual offroad use. At the very least you “should” reduce chain tension, by a lot, or disconnect them entirely, if you have to drive across really uneven terrain, like a rutted dirt path back to a primitive forest service campsite….. Minor humps and dips aren’t a problem, OTH severe dips really stress the chains and the red bushings, and may break those screw-together couplers that are used to extend them. There was a thread about busted couplers not long ago. Have you measured your tongue weight? Lightening that may eliminate a lot of them jouncing and make it possible to stay with a dead weight hitch. Get rid of the tongue cargo box and put any heavy stuff like generator in the truck bed, far forward. My 2006 Ram 3500 was perfectly fine with a simple fixed dead weight hitch. There are adjustable shocks, you turn a knob to alter the dampening, depending on the load. I have not used them in decades, but thirty years ago I had Rancho 9000 (?) rear ones on a 1 ton Suburban when towing 8500 pounds of SeaRay boat, and they actually worked quite well. You might do some research about what is available now. John Davies Spokane WA

Michelins are excellent quality and very car-like, relatively speaking, and they do OK in snow, but are NOWHERE as safe and capable as dedicated snow tires. Considering where you live, you should have a dedicated winter set on cheap wheels. Everybody around here runs winter tires, except those who slid into the ditch or into another car….. and next season those folks got them. If you don't get snow tires definitely buy a set with the snow flake symbol, it is better than your average “jack of all trades, master of none” All Season tire, but just barely. One problem with Michelins is that they are lightly constructed, and have a soft and vulnerable sidewall, that makes them ride nice, which is perfect for the East. You need to be aware that on a western trip if you encounter rough gravel, even a short section of torn-up under construction freeway, it can result in sidewall damage. Most owners don’t care about sidewall protection, until they slash a tire 100 miles from the nearest tire store. On a Sunday. My personal feeling is that a truck that will be heavily loaded and does towing needs real heavy duty truck tires, not soft car-like ones. John Davies Spokane WA

I think this would be a very easy problem for an RV tech to figure out. Call Service to schedule a mobile appointment. I dislike propane appliances intensely, but they normally are pretty reliable until they actually fail completely. Does that make sense? I am sure Oliver will get it corrected. This is another good reason to have a backup fridge, a compressor type running off 12 volts in your truck. Otherwise a 3 way fridge failure will ruin a vacation, as you have discovered. John Davies Spokane WA

I am glad you got it figured out, these Andersen hitches can indeed be kind of tricky, especially if you get get TV angled too far, but they are not impossible to use. Senior moments, part if the joy of growing old….😬 John Davies Spokane WA

Wow, I have driven plenty of freshly chipsealed roads, but never ever in that situation. I think the contractor really screwed up big time. That is just plain disgusting. For those who don't know: ... https://dpw.lacounty.gov/gmed/lacroads/TreatmentChipSeal.aspx A freshly chip sealed highway can be nightmare with a nice trailer, especially if people exceed the posted 35 mph limit and toss rocks, but that tread clogging mess is very unusual. Do you have any more pics? LT instead of ST, no worries, but I definitely would not install light duty P rated radial tires. John Davies Spokane WA

Be sure to use stainless rivets, my guess is this size. https://www.amazon.com/ISPINNER-50pcs-Stainless-Rivets-12-7mm/dp/B08L3DFT7T/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=3%2F16”+stainless+pop+rivets&qid=1624743406&sr=8-3 It also takes a very stout tool to pull these, your average do it yourself Harbor Freight pop riveter won’t work, and drilling out the old ones may take some patience and lots of swear words because they will try to spin. Stainless is tough to work with, it takes a fresh drill bit and lots of pressure. Be careful not to drill through the inner hull. You might want to have a shop do this if you don’t already have the skills and tools to do it yourself.. John Davies Spokane WA

Their big map updates come out about every three months, I usually hook up my Garmin to the iMac before any major trip to check, if I haven't updated it recently. FYI when updating, select the “Computer and Device” option so that you can also use the newest maps with the Garmin Basecamp program for trip planning . This new file is ADDED to the same folder as any existing map files on your computer, it does not over-write them, so try to locate and delete any older "City_Navigator_North_America_NT_20xx_xx.gmap" files because they are huge (almost 4 gigabytes) and the old files will definitely clog up your storage otherwise. The one that goes on your gps is twice that size but gets over written. John Davies Spokane WA

Welcome to the Forum, unfortunately you do not have enough truck for an LE2, though it would probably be acceptable for an LE1, except for really strenuous conditions. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5653-“frontal-area-considerations”-for-small-tow-vehicles/ John Davies Spokane WA

Some people find themselves very freaked out by the whole trailer towing experience, it can be highly daunting if you have never towed anything before. Add in zero camping experience and it gets really challenging for a newbie. Am I correct that you will be traveling solo? If so, a SMALL van based RV or a truck camper will be orders of magnitude easier for you to adjust to and drive around. Go by an RV dealer and ask to see a number of different SMALL RVs, sit inside and contemplate without the sales droid hanging around. Imagine yourself in that space for many days, how does it feel, could you stand being cooped up inside over a long rainy period? I really like Northern Lite truck campers, try to go inside one of those. It would require a heavy duty truck to carry it, which is a downside. A truck camper with electric remote control jacks is really easy to take off the truck, you just unplug one electrical connection, unhook four tie downs, raise it and drive out from under, and it can even be done while camping, though most people don’t do it. Putting it back is more time consuming…. https://northern-lite.com/ These are also very nice, and they have a wonderful indirect Alde heating system. ….. https://nucamprv.com/cirrus-truck-camper/ Here is a good truck camper resource. …. https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/ We had a new owner that was determined to full time in an LE1, she ended up hating the whole thing and sold her trailer a few months later. Try before you buy. That may difficult these days, do you know anybody who could take you along on their next trip? Offer to pay for a days worth of gas and bring doughnuts, or offer to take them out for a nice dinner en route. There is a really big difference between traveling between full hookup RV resorts and boondocking away from any services. Most western National Parks and Monuments do NOT offer any kind of services. it is way more common in the East. Welcome to the forum. John Davies Spokane WA

Wayfinder, You need to ask your question on a Ram truck forum, there are several. There may be a dealer setting or hack that will allow you to disable the auto adjust feature. I would be really wary of anything that is not dealer approved. What does your truck owners manual say about this “fighting the hitch” ? It has to be a very common question…. What is your truck payload? Being a Limited it is probably a bit, well, limited. What is your tongue weight? Reducing that might be an adequate solution, John Davies Spokane WA

Yes, it is thrilling! I suddenly have a bunch of cool badges , but I seem to be stuck at the Newbie level since 2015….. I feel like the day I joined the Cub Scouts, more than a few years ago….. Maybe a moderator can explain this new and exciting system😬 However, I do really think I should be a Rookie by now. Do I have to send doughnuts to somebody? if you zoom in on a badge icon it says “Rare”. That must be good, like a rare pokémon card….. I do not yet have a Conversation Starter badge, Susan, I am a little jealous. Could I have yours? John Davies Spokane WA

it sounds like a battery has shorted out internally, a catastrophic condition. That will be easy enough to diagnose for a battery shop or an RV tech. You most likely need at least two new batteries, I bet that was more than a little unnerving. Hang in there. John Davies Spokane WA

Four 6 volt AGMs would certainly be better in ferocious heat, but a full set replaced every two or three years will get very pricy, they are like $250 each I think. Unless you really need the capacity, I would go with a couple of cheap 12 volt deep cycle AGMs from Walmart and consider them to be disposable….. but if you get the inverter and microwave, you need a great big battery bank, it is required for that huge load. I am not sure the exact model that Oliver is using now, something like this: https://www.batterywholesale.com/products/bright-way-group-bw-evgc8-8v-170ah-sla-battery Do you plan to boondock or plug in to shore power mostly? Choices, choices….. John Davies Spokane WA

The factory will do that fresh water pickup mod at no charge I think, to allow you to use about 28 gallons of water. The factory installation was indeed an exceedingly stupid design that affects early hulls like mine (218), the pump would cavitate (suck air) with about 12 gallons remaining! The spin welding can be done by anybody with a high speed (20,000 rpm) router but the spin weld tool and fittings are prohibitively expensive for a single use. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2261-how-to-fresh-water-tank-suction-tube-mod-no-spin-welding-required/ Whether or not you can do it that way is your decision…. Mine has been trouble free for five seasons. The pump does tend to get air in it if towing with a low tank level, not a big deal IMHO. I think this is unavoidable with any “suck from the top” design…. The tank volume is fine for most people once the entire capacity can be used, and you would rarely need to go under the bed unless you boondock often away from a water source. John Davies Spokane WA

RBD, if I lived and camped in the Arizona lowlands I would definitely not order lithiums, they will not last. Buy cheap lead acid deep cycle batteries and plan on replacing them every two years at most, and a generator for running the AC. At least you have plenty of sunshine, get solar for sure. FYI using them at extreme temps is what is hardest in them, the onboard BMS controls should in theory limit any damage, but it wouldn’t hurt to disconnect the cables. For sure turn off all chargers and don’t try to keep them at 100% state of charge all the time. I would remove mine and take them into my motel room😬 If you had a conditioned garage to store the LE1 in, then they would be fine, as long as you didn’t plan on camping during the summer there. At least lithiums are very light in weight. John Davies Spokane WA