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John E Davies

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Everything posted by John E Davies

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. That should work great. May I suggest a different tie down system? Those steel hooked bungee cords are nasty and can remove a finger or an eye if you are not really careful. These ROK Straps are terrific, they look very classy and they probably won’t damage any of your body parts. I use them inside my Yakima Rocket Box and also to secure my two MaxTrax together, plus other applications. For anchors you can install stainless 1” footman loops in the front and back. If you want to stick with hooks, a safer choice is SmartStraps. John Davies Spokane WA
  11. Thanks for all the comments so far. We have altered our plans, we will take five weeks instead of three, leaving around August 1. This depends on the Canadian borders opening up, it is possible that they will remain closed through September or beyond☹️. If they don’t open, we will explore the US West and try again for Alaska next year. We considered flying up and renting, but that has its own issues, and leaving “Mouse” behind seemed like a horrible thing to do to him. I want an “Ollie under the Northern lights” picture.... Related thread: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5408-alaska-if-you-figure-just-the-drivable-places-it-isnt-that-big John Davies Spokane WA
  12. This is so true, especially if you are unfortunate enough to live in southern Florida😄. That adds around 3000 miles (one way) to the trip. From here in the Pacific NW it is not so terribly far. It’s 2150 miles to Tok from my front door, exactly the same as the drive to Hohenwald to pick up “Mouse”. Except there are no Interstate highways headed north from here, thank goodness. I stay off those by preference. John Davies Spokane WA
  13. Everybody says Alaska is huge. If you look at all the land, including the southwest and southeast peninsulas, it is indeed vast. HOWEVER, for the average visitor who does not plan to fly all over it, the part with roads is what is important. It's hard to load your Ollie into a floatplane... 😉 Here is a scan of the 2021 Alaska Milepost map of that southeast corner, I cut and pasted the mileage scale onto it for reference. The only significant road north of that section is the Dalton Highway, 414 miles of heavily travelled (by semi trucks) gravel to Prudhoe Bay. Not many tourists venture that far. Here is Montana, sized to the same scale as the Alaska one: They may not come through with accurate sizes, so I placed AK beside MT, and captured them together: They are pretty much identical, so don't be fooled by the "Alaska is so big" warning. It is the getting there that takes so darned long. I plan to visit AK in the late summer, but if the borders do not open up I will just go explore more of Montana. John Davies Spokane WA
  14. For anyone camping where violent weather can happen, this is a very handy reference. It also has some stunning pictures and diagrams. They are high res, zoom in on that page and they look great. Here is a low res screen capture: Weather Spotter’s Field Guide I downloaded it and saved it to my Books application. Go to the file and rename it so that you can find it later, the actual file name is bizarre. FYI a Weather Spotter is a trained observer who sends in reports of violent weather; if I lived in a more remote area I would sign up. There are already plenty of spotters in my area. https://www.weather.gov/otx/Spotter_Resource_Page John Davies Spokane WA
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  15. Label ties: Nylon Marker Cable Ties, 250pcs 6 Inch I paid $10, I do not know what happened to that seller. Do some searching for a good price...., A brand NEW Sharpie Fine Point pen (not the Ultra Fine) works great to mark them - don’t use a worn one with smooshed tip, that is a mess. John Davies Spokane WA
  16. Added an additional warning placard and also an orange streamer (surveyors tape) that acts as a reminder. It is tied inside to a wire bundle. When the switch is turned on, the flag goes inside the compartment until the next time it is switched off. The placard is sideways so it can be read when you poke your head under the table. FYI, I also added a flag at the back, for the Redarc DC to DC charger, for when I have it disconnected by manually tripping the circuit breaker (another phantom drain). Aviation nerds recognize these streamers , they save lives: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remove_before_flight John Davies Spokane WA
  17. EDIT: disconnected the Blue Sea CB panel backlight. .... https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5405-how-to-disconnect-the-attic-blue-sea-circuit-breaker-backlight-10-milliamp-phantom-drain/ John Davies Spokane WA
  18. This applies to earlier hull numbers, I am not sure when they stopped installing these Blue Sea marine breaker panels up there. This is a related thread: .... https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5299-eliminating-phantom-electrical-loads-for-long-term-storage/ This is a VERY easy mod, just remove the screws holding the street side panel and rotate it around to where you can see the back side. At the upper right corner you will see the lighting connection, unplug the wire and secure it out of the way with a nylon tie. Label the unused connection so a future owner will know what it is. An anal owner could make a placard similar to this one (my hull has two extra loads added to the stereo wire): Now you have to turn on the overhead cabinet light if ambient lighting is dim. I am not sure why Oliver felt that it was necessary to connect this wire in the first place. John Davies Spokane WA
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  19. IMHO There is nothing wrong with HDPE (plastic) if mounted correctly with a good two part epoxy like JB Weld, I would repair it by drilling four holes through the entire assembly, including the inner hull wall, and secure it with stainless machine screws and self locking nuts. But Oliver will want to fix it their way, if you open a service ticket it will get put back on with self tapping screws. Hopefully all four of them....🙄 My inverter mounting board has had a little play in the front top corner since new, but it hasn’t gotten worse in five years. John Davies Spokane WA
  20. The four Fiamma awning brackets each have a small attach bolt, much weaker than the really big ones (two per bracket) going into the fiberglass (which are reinforced with bedding compound, I hope)....
  21. Mine are simple bent pieces of aluminum, the newer ones have extra welded gussets. Maybe because of this? Those are stretch cracks from when the approximately 120 degree bend was made, so far none of the four brackets has a larger crack. It sure looks like a future failure point to me.... Has anybody seen a broken one? If somebody can post a picture of the new style bracket, that would be helpful. Comments? BTW, I discovered that when inspecting the awning hardware, and I also found this.... which was contributing to creaks and pops. After tightening and lubing with silicone it was OK. Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA
  22. I got a reply from the Ecoheat S customer service. It was in actual English. The heater is Centigrade only, arrives in about 25 days after shipping (customs delay?), and she declined to answer my direct question if it was a scam. She did give me a link to a manual, and there I discovered that it is 240 volts only. You would think that since they ship worldwide it would be mentioned SOMEWHERE in their advertising..... I don’t think that North America is their target market. 😀 I can’t imagine how difficult it would be and how long it would take to resolve a warranty issue. As Jairon commented, “down the space heater rabbit hole”- it should not be so very hard to find a decent unit. I think a Vornado is the way to proceed in spite of the cost. I am very pleased with our home fan. John Davies Spokane WA
  23. I think that a coarse furnace filter, changed seasonally, would be fine. Big enough holes to let through lots of air, but still able to catch hair and dust bunnies. I’m not 100% sure about the hair getting to the sail switch, isn't that inside the combustion area, like in my Suburban? Or does Dometic have an additional one for the cabin air...? John Davies Spokane WA
  24. Thanks, I have a Vornado fan for the home bedroom and it has been fine. Maybe I will order one of the heaters. Reviewers say they are loud but that is very subjective and easy to find out. I could return it easily. I quite like this one for its brilliant top mounted controls. (My old one has a 1/2” diameter temp control mounted on the back side and it is erratic.) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ISIDSI6/?coliid=I1TXJFBHHHGOEQ&colid=1X5H11EH41351&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it Ace has it for $80 with free pickup at the store. BTW it would be super simple to add an additional 120 VAC outlet close to your heater location.... John Davies Spokane WA
  25. Thanks, It looks fragile but has good features. Low is 750 watts, higher than I like. And it is discontinued, not a good sign. https://www.delonghi.com/en-us/products/comfort/portable-heating/ceramic-heaters/hfx60o15l John Davies Spokane WA
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