John E Davies

This shows the installation of a Blue Sea 6005 mini battery switch with removable key, it fits neatly into a piece of 3" x 4" aluminum angle, 6061-T6. It can be mounted in a variety of ways, using 5 mm screws and self locking nuts. This mod requires metal working tools and skill, and the ability to fabricate good quality cables. As always, measure twice, cut once, and disconnect the batteries before starting! I chose method C. If you plan to use D, you can purchase a new round label to apply, since the existing one will be covered. I bought a 12” scrap, leave it LONG until the big hole is cut! Brace that end against the drill press post so it cannot spin and take off your fingers! Bond a HDPE mounting block to the inside cabinet wall, I like JB Weld. Let it cure overnight. I used a 1" thick piece, thinner would be OK but not as sturdy. Mount the angle bracket with stainless sheet metal screws, the center hole is not used (that was used as a center for drilling the four outer ones, and also to hold a fixture to clamp it in place). The switch should be mounted upside down, so the label is easily readable when you put your head down in the hole. All four screw holes are located so that they are accessible with the switch in place: Access is reasonably good, there is plenty of room to reach around and get a box end wrench on each one, from below. Remove the battery Positive cable (this one is 4/0 gauge because there is a 2000 watt inverter installed) and relocate it to the INPUT of the master switch (shorten if necessary and install a new 5/16" terminal end.) Fabricate a short jumper cable to go from the OUTPUT terminal of the switch and back to the big fuse block that the old cable attached to. Add a red cable boot on that one, the connection is more exposed than the inner one. Add split loom and secure with cable ties. FYI, I reworked my positive cable by adding a terminal feed through post, so mine comes in from closer to the side of the trailer. A standard installation will have it come down from the existing plastic grommet up high in the back of the box. Fabricate a placard and mount it upside down near the switch. The red key is removable when in the OFF position, for security. It cannot be removed in the ON position. I do not plan to remove it. If you do, please buy a second key and put it in your spares kit! Here it is flipped over so you don't have to stand on your head: John Davies Spokane WA

Wow, that is very cool, but for the average person I suggest you just watch from about 7:00 minutes to 15:00 minutes. The rest is tech talk and data crunching. His end conclusion is buy lithiums, but that decision does not take into account any extra (possibly very expensive) hassles like adding a smart shunt, changing the onboard charger, and adding a DC to Dc charger for the truck. Plus physical changes to the battery box to keep it more climate controlled. AAAAND labor expen$e$, if you can't do this stuff yourself. John Davies Spokane WA

FYI about AGMs vs standard wet (non-sealed) batteries. The only way to know if they are any good is to get them load tested. No other method exists, unlike wet ones with caps, where you can check electrolyte level, condition (clear or cloudy), state of charge and balance. You have to fully charge an AGM, let it sit at least six hours, then check it with a hand hold load tester. Any battery shop should do this free, they hope to sell you more batteries :). My four black Trojans were toast by the beginning of the third season. The guy at Batteries Plus Bulbs that tested them said they normally fail in a couple of years. I personally would never install a maintenance free LA battery in an RV. It is the worst of both worlds IMHO. John Davies Spokane WA

Very cool, I hope you will post pictures of the Big Guy. I'm not sure why you never post your website url..... https://happycampersolar.com/shop?olsPage=products I am guessing that this portable unit should only operate when the owner is outside so he can watch it move.... because where I camp it would be gone in less than an hour. Could one install a stout cable lock near the center of rotation? It should come with a guard dog.... Have you delivered any product yet? If not, do you have an ETA for shipping? John Davies Spokane WA

I have a portable CB with magnetic roof antenna, I always thought I would use it, but the few times I tried on the highway, I just could not understand what they were talking about..... I should try it on forest roads when loggers are around, sometimes I do worry about meeting one on a blind curve. For road hazards on the highway I will rely on my Garmin traffic alerts, and Waze, when I have a cell signal... John Davies Spokane WA

Regarding electrical diagrams.... if they were never offered in the past, one could argue that it is unreasonable for an owner to ask for them. However, they have been included in every paper and electronic manual until model year 2020, so something must be behind the decision to eliminate them entirely. Not “flux”. Flux is normal in industry and every day life, you just deal with it. If they actually wanted to keep the info away from competitors (which IMHO is absurd, these are not space ships) then they would have purged the older diagrams from the Oliver University ebooks. Two years ago somebody there made the decision to alter that section from Electrical Diagrams to Battery Configurations. This is not a simple omission of the those images, but a policy change, which in effect says “we are no longer going to publish those”). Whatever the reason, it is not valid enough to keep this vital information away from owners and RV techs who require it to troubleshoot electrical problems. That they apparently keep them from their Service Department boggles the mind! The fact that no one at Oliver will give a straight answer is very concerning to me. Jim, please ask about and pursue this subject when you visit. Be tenacious. Take a box of doughnuts from Walmart. Thank you! John Davies Spokane WA

Unless you both are true die hard steam fanatics, do not take the train up to Silverton and back, the round trip is stinky and excruciatingly long (SEVEN hours to go 90 miles, not including the two hour layover). I love “live steam” but that trip pretty much destroyed me for a couple of days. If one of you wants to ride, the other should go up the hill and meet that person at Silverton, then drive back down together. There are plenty of cool shops, pubs and scenery in that very neat little town. Also some great boondocking sites close by... and the wonderful Million Dollar Highway, Ouray, Lake City, Telluride, Alpine Loop, ghost towns, mine relics, jeep trails, multiple 12,000 foot passes, oh my! I love that particular section of the Colorado Plateau, when the fires are not making the air unbreathable. Further west Dinosaur NM (the very remote canyon parts especially) and Colorado NM are teriffic, IMHO. John Davies Spokane WA

Well, opinions are like.... you know, everyone has one. Found this, also at eTrailer: “Typical spring deflection is up to 1-1/2 inches when at capacity. The recommended clearance with leaf spring suspension on an unloaded trailer is between 2 - 2-1/2 inches. You should have sufficient clearance with your loaded trailer, as leaf springs only tend to deflect 1-1/2 inch when carrying a load.” https://www.etrailer.com/question-171401.html And from the Dexter Mother Ship itself: However, Dexter pretty much leaves it up to the trailer manufacturer to decide what is “sufficient”. Or not sufficient. 🙄 Dexter Applications Manual John Davies Spokane WA

Mine is a little sticky but I don’t lube it, I just leave it slightly loose from fully tightened (like all the ones inside). It isn’t going to fly off. Try some silicone spray, just a little on the threads, then wipe off any overspray with isopropyl alcohol. Make sure the threads are clean and not deformed in any way. Do NOT apply grease, you have to reach through the hole, yuck! John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks for the kind words. Since we now know definitively from the Mother Ship what length shackles “should” be installed on each model, it just makes sense to me to crawl under and measure them. I have not yet done that, but I will soon. A new thread with a poll should be useful, for folks to report their findings. If there is a significant percentage of wrong parts installed, it would be time for an official tech bulletin. Edit: that was easy, on the LE2 you don’t actually have to lie down. Mine are correct at about 3 5/8” overall length (not hole to hole, which would be a much better way to measure.) John Davies Spokane WA

That is pretty cool, but it is tiny and gets mixed reviews, some are quite angry about sheet metal damage. Have you actually tried yours and did it dent anything? The top step on my stool is huge in comparison to this, and it has that shin cross support for extra stability. Twenty years ago I would have just carried one of those hook things, if I had known about them. It certainly would be very useful in sand or mud. John Davies Spokane WA

I installed the new Lithium power section (45 amp) and the fan does not run continuously, it has a temp sensor on the heat sink to control it, just like the older LA board. I normally leave its breaker open (off) unless I specifically need to charge from it. It would be very nice if the charger could act as a 12 v power supply for the cabin equipment with the batteries completely disconnected, but it won’t work that way. For example, if you have to send off all your lithium batteries for repair, you can’t use any 12 volt stuff unless you install a temporary loaner battery in their place. John Davies Spokane WA

https://www.musclecarsandtrucks.com/obi-wan-kenobi-pilots-rivian-r1t-ewan-mcgregor-from-patagonia-to-los-angeles/ The largest glacier outside of Antarctica: John Davies Spokane WA

It has reached the stage in my life where getting to stuff on top of my truck is more of a challenge, and lifting myself up onto the rear tire is a whole lot harder. This purchase was prompted by a fall from there, I was wearing hiking hoots with aggressive soles and one got caught in the (mud) tire tread instead of sliding free and it literally flipped me over onto my back. It is super steady (on level ground), has a neat stabilizing rail/ grab bar, an unusually broad top step, and it provides an ideal 30 inch height for accessing a truck roof. That duplicates my 33 inch tall tire without the tip-over potential😬 Plus it is only 1.75” wide when folded, so storage is a non issue in a typical SUV, where space is valuable. It fits in that wasted space between the generator and side trim, without blocking. I can pop the bungee cord off and simply slide it out. Delxo Aluminum 3 Step Ladder,2020 Upgrade Lightweight Folding Step Stool with Long Handle, Anti-Slip Sturdy Pedal, Classic Wood Look Without Wood Worry Step Ladder, Hold Up to 330LB I paid $87. I wish it were available in silver, the black and faux wood will get scarred up pretty fast. Otherwise, highly recommended! My wife wants one for the kitchen now. It will fit in that narrow slot between the fridge and the wall. BTW the cargo box is a Yakima Skybox Lo Carbonite, it allows me to get the rig into my garage with the box in place (7 foot door). It is a little cramped vertically, but my two ARB chairs, two MaxTrax, flagpole, and lots of small soft stuff fit into it easily. Just no milk crates. 🙄 Even with no fairing and round crossbars it is pretty quiet on the highway due to the pebbled texture. With the tailgate down and the hatch closed, it is easy to stand in back for rear access. John Davies Spokane WA

We have been slogging through this third road trip (Apple TV) and the going is hard. Long Way Round was amazing and exhilarating, with a bum ending. The sequal, Long Way Down through Africa was mildly interesting. This one is just lots of stunning scenery and lame dialog. They decided to leave the tip of Patagonia in early September (tail end of their winter) to end up in LA at Christmas (?) after13,000 miles, and were hit with the coldest month in twenty years. Blizzards and bitter cold..... They ride two hand built prototype Harley adventure bikes (free) and the camera crew drive two hand built Rivian trucks (free) and they also have several diesel powered support vehicles (rarely shown), and sat phones to call for help whenever they get stranded. Which is daily, sometimes several times daily. Episode 1 is background and jetting around the world to talk to sponsors, and look at maps and try on free clothes, and get the stuff shipped to the far end of the world..... Rivian agrees to install hundreds of charging stations along their route, “No worries, go for it!”. Harley claims a nearly 90 mile theoretical range for their bikes, but has “no comment” about real world numbers. “What, me worry? Cold weather testing..... huh?” Episodes 2 and 3 are solely can we make it to the next town, will we be trapped in the wild in sub-freezing temperatures, will the power adapter work, will that farmhouse let us borrow some power, why did the house fuse blow, why don’t we have the proper voltage adapter, can we bring our bikes inside they won’t charge it is too cold, why isn’t it charging now, oh the backup 12 volt battery is dead it won’t boot up, we have to ride at 35 mph or the batteries will be flat, the grade is too steep, we need a diesel generator brought in on a semi truck to charge us, my feet and hands are freezing we can’t use electric clothes, Oh God the mountain grade is too steep my range has dropped to 1 mile, can we draft 6 inches behind the support truck to get us there, we are late for the ferry will it wait for us, Charlie made it but Ewan’s bike has to be towed. On and on..... and that is just the bikes. The same thing happens to the Rivians, just different crises.... but all involve will it charge and will it get to the that next town that might have a super charger... because regular outlets won’t work. Once the temperature warms up enough for them to ditch the layers of thermal underwear, the problems are greatly reduced and the bike range goes from 50 miles to 130 miles, on a good leg . At one point Ewan shouts to Charlie, “55? are you good for 55?” Charlie happily agrees and they speed up. LOL, this is a great real world test for the prototypes but it is hardly an endorsement for long distance electric travel. If you have any interest in these vehicles, watch and learn, but it sure makes me want to stay internally combusted. John Davies Spokane WA

FYI the VictronConnect app works great, but you can only have one device (a phone or tablet) connected at a time. I like to have my iPhone connected when towing in the truck, to see what is happening in back. Then when inside the trailer I turn that app off and connect with my hard mounted iPad Mini. I disagree, just a little, with overland’s comment about attaching all the grounds to the Victron shunt, especially if you have an inverter. You should not stack more than four cables on any one connection. Having a nearby ground bus bar or stud makes it easier to manage the many cables, and to add more in the future. Simply connect that bus bar to the Victron shunt with a short, very heavy gauge jumper cable. Be sure to attach the power wire for the shunt directly to the batteries, not on to a switched source, or the system will get confused and reset the state of charge to 100% if the batteries are disconnected, or if you have a battery master shutoff switch installed. The system uses only about 5 milliamps on standby, which is negligible. You might as well buy the optional Victron temperature sense cable and install that, it provides temperature data that is very useful. (It also has a fused power wire, so you do not need to use the one that comes with the shunt.) Your batteries may not need that temperature compensation, but YOU need the info so you can monitor what is happening in the “hot box” compartment. I am not sure if this is compatible with the model of shunt you ordered, this fit my BVM-712 Smart unit. https://www.victronenergy.com/accessories/temperature-sensor-for-bmv-702 If you add another Victron product like a smart MPPT solar controller, you can easily set up a network and they will talk to each other, and you can see the battery temp on the solar app display, for example. Very cool. John Davies Spokane WA

I remain a fan of Rejex, though it is considerably harder to apply since you must strip off all traces of any previous wax and debris like sap and tar, even the leftover carnauba from your wash product will affect how well it sticks to the gel coat (or paint). It also cannot be done in direct sunlight. Apply it incorrectly and it will disappoint.... I use it on my cars too and since they and the Ollie are garage kept and neither of us commute to work, I let the job go a lot longer, up to two years. For prep, use a strong solution of genuine blue Dawn dish detergent, not a generic version which may be less effective, to remove dirt and any wax. Then follow up with 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner 08984 . A quart size will last a couple of Ollie cleanings and can be found at a local auto paint retailer for about $15, body shops use this product routinely as a paint prep. If there is stubborn debris a clay bar will usually get that off. “Baby butt smooth” is the goal. Power buffers are not needed IMHO unless the surface is neglected. I also like https://www.meguiars.com/automotive/products/meguiars-gold-class-car-wash-shampoo-conditioner-g7164-64-oz-liquid for normal washing. But it does have wax in it, so that has to be gone before the Rejex can be applied. John Davies Spokane WA

If you want to check out the Nashville area, the following is a great spot to stay for a few nights, it is on the shore of a lake (busy boat traffic during the day, quiet at night) and really close to east Nashville. Check out the city zoo, it is quite nice, and the most excellent Lane Motor Museum. Both are a short drive away. The museum has room in back for an Ollie, I parked “Mouse” there for half a day. The zoo, nope. Nashville drivers drive fast and are quite aggressive, stay off the freeways and you will be fine. Anderson Road Campground, J Percy Priest Reservoir We spent two nights in Henry Horton SP while our 2006 Ram Cummins was getting an unexpected complete hydraulic system transplant ($4000!) in nearby Columbia. HH seemed very nice, fairly laid back and quiet compared to Fall Creek Falls, which is a complete madhouse in summer. If you do decide to stay there, be sure to hike back to Fall Creek Falls itself, it is pretty impressive for an East Coast waterfall 😬. Just be sure to approach the Park from the southwest (Hwy 284) not from the northwest (through Spencer), that Hwy 30 is a steep twisty nightmare with a trailer. It sure is fun in a sports car.... John Davies Spokane WA

I apply a small amount of synthetic grease to the base of each nut where it rubs against the washer, it reduces the amount of force needed. I haven’t tried greasing the threads, but if you remove some of the tension with the jack before adjusting the nuts, they turn very easily. Once those urethane bushings are compressed, I don’t see how they could possibly “slip”. I do apply a witness mark with a black Sharpie to each nut, to the outside flat, so if I do have to loosen them to hitch up, I can get them back to where they were without having to measure or count how many threads are showing. John Davies Spokane WA

The only possible benefit from a Andersen for a 7500 pound (loaded) HD truck is jounce control - loosen the nuts so there is zero chain tension for your next trip. If you don’t notice any increased choppiness on a rough highway, tell her afterwards what you did and then leave it at home on the next trip. Leave the hitch, not the wife😊 A HD truck with blown rear shocks would definitely ride better with the Andersen, are yours OK? Have her Message me and I will be glad to talk to her for you..... John Davies Spokane WA

It is no different than steel, it just needs a lighter hammer blow. As you said, practice on some 6061-T6 scrap (not dead soft aluminum) until you get a feel for the amount of force needed. Tape a guide to where you plan to mark the frame. Something quite thick works well (tall enough off the frame to guide the top part of a punch, not the tapered tip). Lay the punches so they rest on the guide, they will stay nice and even. If you are anal, you will put a piece of masking tape onto the guide bar, with reference marks at the same distance as the punch width, so the number spacing will be equal. If you are really truly ANAL, you will write the VIN on the tape, so you do not accidentally punch the wrong digit or skip one..... this is me talking. 😬 I personally won’t hold a punch in my fingers, needle-nosed vise grip pliers would be my choice, or this .... Willams Punch and Chisel Holder.... plus a heavy steel ball peen (machinist) hammer. Post pics, this is interesting.... John Davies Spokane WA

I had a 2006 Ram 3500, it did not need more than a cheap ball mount. I now have a Land Cruiser, it definitely needs the Andersen. I voted, I hope that was OK. I like polls, thanks for posting one. 😬 John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks for the kind offer, after borrowing the 2020 edition from the library, I bought the 2021 version, which shipped from the publisher just a week ago, and I also downloaded the "dumb" pdf version (172 MB) so I would be able to use my iPad anywhere. Unfortunately the Milepost app for IOS is really lame, it requires an internet connection to see all the features, hardly suitable for the middle of AK. But logging in to the app and opening it up to your purchased book does offer that download button in the top right corner. You can also log in to the Milepost website to read, but again, that takes internet. Please offer your 2020 paper book to somebody else. FYI if you plan to travel inside any Canadian National Parks you can't have a firearm, in my case I don't plan to stop at any, but if I did, I would camp outside the Park and leave the bear rifle locked in the trailer while I toured the Park in the Land Cruiser. John Davies Spokane WA

Add a third one crossways for fail-safe security. I always like to have more than the absolute minimum. The ROK Straps have a lifetime warranty and they have an excellent reputation in the motorcycle world. If a buckle fails they will replace the strap. I would not choose them to routinely hold a set of exposed sand tracks on a roof rack, but I would be happy to short term if I also added two extras at different attach points. For securing camp chairs inside a protected cargo pod they are dandy. John Davies Spokane WA

I don’t think anybody here has done this, most LE2 owners pick larger vehicles due to lack of payload and cargo room. Do you already own a Ranger, if so, what are the payload and tongue weight ratings? It may be adequate for hauling a boat to the lake for the weekend but for a laden LE2 on a multi-day trip in tough conditions, it will struggle a lot. The smaller trailer would be a much better match, but you still have the “where do I put all my stuff” problem, exacerbated by the much smaller storage volume of the littler one. Any small TV that pulls a big load will always be highly stressed, you find yourself wondering if it is going to make that steep grade or break down. Plus it gets you lots of anxious looks from your passengers. Not a pleasant way to travel... Welcome to the forums. John Davies Spokane WA