John E Davies

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

I was just wondering, with Western temps in the 100 to 130 degree range, if your trailer is stored outdoors, have you thought about taking the lithium batteries into your home or other air conditioned building? That kind of heat, especially cooking for a week in direct sunlight, can possibly damage them. It is supposed to get to 110 by next week here in Spokane , a huge record for this date, but “Mouse” is indoors, and the temp in the RV bay, aka the Hanger Deck, should stay below 90. https://www.npr.org/2021/06/19/1008248475/the-record-temperatures-enveloping-the-west-is-not-your-average-heat-wave If you are camping in the open in your Ollie, how do you stay comfortable? Be safe. John Davies Spokane WA

Nobody mentioned this excellent resource. …. https://www.ultimatecampgrounds.com/ If you change the search filters from default to “Corps of Engineers” it will show you just those campgrounds. HOWEVER, you need to be aware that sometimes a different bureau will actually operate those facilities. For example, along Lake Roosevelt National Recreational Area (Columbia River) in Washington there is a whole nest of wonderful Corps CGs that are operated by the National Park Service. All the green icons are NP operated, the red icons are Corps operated. Click on an icon, then an info box pops up with details and links. John Davies Spokane WA

I thought yours had the manual switch? If so the power wire will be a direct run from there to the fan motor. The power to the switch will come from a fuse. It is super easy to check this stuff, if the fuse is OK you will need a cheap volt/ ohm test meter to do some simple electrical checks of the wires. The later hulls did away with the manual switch entirely. Unfortunately.... The earlier hulls had the fan sitting up high where it can be reached easily from outside, without having to remove the entire fridge. John Davies Spokane WA

Well, that certainly looks like an engineering decision to me, tho the execution could be a lot better IMHO. It is sure unsightly. If you can get Oliver to send you a length of the chrome trim, you could carefully notch out the bottom edge to clear the shelf. It would look odd when the shelf was removed, but no odder than a completely missing piece. And it would look terrific when the shelf was installed. My guess is that the missing piece is a cost saving measure. I removed my two peeling stickers and mounted a single one in their place outside the frame, the view out the back window is much improved. The stickers are a visual distraction, they force your eyes to focus on them rather than the scenery beyond. On your setup, I would install a new one to the right of the street side red handle. And the EXIT sticker at the top should go a few inches forward, on the ceiling, so you can see it when lying down. I am not sure it even meets code where it is now, half hidden by the blinds frame….. . I guess that all the sticker locations are by code, but as an owner you do not have to leave them there. John Davies Spokane WA

That is a “Danger Will Robinson!” indication of movement of the brackets. The second pic especially! You need to remove the awning and brackets and inspect underneath. If everything looks OK, reinstall them with a good adhesive/ sealant including underneath the brackets, and keep an eye on them regularly. I just inspected my five year old brackets a couple of months ago, there is no sign of sealant (or metal) cracks. If you can’t get to this ASAP, I would immediately remove and store the awning to eliminate any further possible damage. It could eventually crack the roof structure. But it is probably OK, you just never know until you take a look. BTW there are supposed to be heavy (thick) flat washers between the bolt heads and the aluminum, to help distribute the load. Be sure to add them. Are those iron oxide internal Allen bolts? it is hard to see. I don’t know how you could possibly get a proper hex tip into that tight location. These should be STAINLESS hex head bolts IMHO. Could those be a rubber cover? That is an entirely different setup from the early hulls, the small boots appear to be covering the sharp ends of self tapping screws. Mine are machine screws with self locking nuts. What is your model and hull number? Please add that info as a signature, it helps other owners to be on the lookout for issues. Have you filed a service request? John Davies Spokane WA

I haven’t done more than glance at their website. Is it intended for a ducted system? Your Ollie has a ductless setup - all the air comes out at one place. Right over the bed(s). https://rvairflow.com/products/rvairflow-coleman Can you post that video link? I will add my negative review to others about the $170 cost. It is grossly overpriced, but they need to make up their R&D costs I guess. I would wait for that to drop by $100 before I would be remotely interested. The actual materials and molding costs are probably less than $10… It is too bad that the appliance designer could not be bothered to optimize their unit before the sale🙄 John Davies Spokane WA

Your setup has a manual switch, so this recent post is appropriate. You can read the rest of the thread further up but it doesn’t apply to your Hull. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3296-how-to-dometic-refrigerator-cooling-fan-noisy-disconnect-the-power-wire/?tab=comments#comment-59902 It should be quite easy to replace, just remove the upper louvered cover. I would not use a computer fan, that is a very hot , dirty and harsh environment, so it needs to have sealed bearings and be waterproof too. Please post some comments on that thread. John Davies Spokane WA

Most likely a drive gear broke, this will help you figure out what is going on. The grease in my tongue jack was like Pla Dough. I haven’t pulled the rear ones apart yet…. Have you tried retracting it using the handle? That may work, depending on what broke. That tall squared off shaft sits directly over the jack screw, so if a gear broke it should still work. Maybe….. Please post an update. Good luck. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4094-how-to-vip-3000-electric-stabilizer-jack-service/ John Davies Spokane WA

It sucks to get old, I feel like an idiot. I put the frame back up and tried inserting that 16x25x1” filter, and it went in fine. When you lower the top blind and raise the bottom blind just one inch it holds it firmly in place with hardly ANY gaps. The window and screen slide perfectly. Inside views: Outside views: The only issue is with this 25” long filter the window won’t fully close. If somebody has a 16x24x1 filter that you use in your furnace PLEASE TEST THE FIT, see if the window will close and latch. See if there is a gap at the front, where the center divider is located. Try repositioning the blind frame further to the back (mine is centered) - moving it rearward might do the trick, since the blind frame is what retains the filter. If the glass will latch, you could leave the filter in place with the window closed while traveling, or if it starts to rain. You could even install three filters in all the long windows of an LE2 if the air was horrible. Here are the 24” ones, I have used these Nordic Pure ones for a long time in my HVAC system, they are affordable and effective. Nordic Pure 16x24x1 MERV 12 Pleated AC Furnace Air Filters 6 Pack $43 I will test my 25” filter on the next trip. There may be a little dust seepage around the outside of the blind frame, there is a 1/4” gap there, but it would be easy to seal with foam weatherstripping. Some owners have done this to reduce cold air infiltration…. John Davies Spokane WA