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Raspy

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Everything posted by Raspy

  1. That overflow hose is just forward of the sink cabinet. If you could reach it and extend it up under the sink with a vented loop, as high as you could, under the sink, and then back down to the outside it would make a big difference. Maybe it can be reached through the outside louver behind the refrigerator. Plugging it is a bad idea because sooner or later you'll forget the plug and pressurize the tank. Also, if it had a spring check valve at the outlet no dirt or bugs could ever go back up the pipe to the tank and the vented loop would let in air to allow the tank to drain. The vented loop is simple sailboat hardware. Adding a vacuum breaker to the loop would make sure no water ever burped out of the loop. I haven't noticed any loss of water, but I guess it might be worth a test. Fill the tank completely, go on a rough road, and before using any water, re-fill the tank to see what was lost. That vent system shown in the picture looks like it would allow some loss.
  2. Metal stems are rated for higher pressure and they won't deteriorate as much in the sun. Later, they can take a flying rock hit better than rubber ones while off road. But to say that the TPMS would be better on metal stems if you hit a curb (as Hardrock mentioned, seems like a stretch. As far as dissimilar metals is concerned, I doubt that is a real problem. But since the metal stems seal with an O ring against an aluminum wheel, it wouldn't hurt to put something on the sealing surface. Silicone or silicone grease, or a dab of teflon paste would be fine. Not so sure about anti-seize as it's designed for a different problem (it prevents rust and galling on bolt threads, and some galvanic corrosion if it's the right formula), and there are different formulas for different applications. Anything to keep water away from the two metals and the sealing surface will help if it is a real problem. But really, I've used metal stems for a long time and never thought about this "issue" before and I've never had any problems with them. I don't think it's an issue. You also have dissimilar metals where the wheel touches the iron hub and where the lug nuts tighten into tapered holes in the wheel. Never a problem there. You also have a steel and chrome plated center hub cover that is in contact with the aluminum wheel all the time and exposed to moisture. Never a problem there either.
  3. That's part of the reason did it. It will offer a lot of heat protection, but I'll still have to be somewhat careful. This is much more durable and heat resistant than the bare gelcoated fiberglass top. It also is far better for cutting, scrubbing and just general use and abuse, in the long run. I seems very practical and durable.
  4. The 4 1/2" grinder with a cutoff wheel goes right through it. Just have to be careful around the corners and to get the cutouts just right. Probably took an hour to cut it out after getting it sheared and bent. Then another hour or so to dress the corners and drill the screw holes to get the final fit. All 10-24 stainless screws and nuts. Easy access for all the nuts from behind. I bent the backsplash at 90 degrees, but the wall leans in a bit, so it is kind of pressing against the wall. Then it is all glued with white silicone. The screws take the load off the glue and push it to the exact spot. This surface is much more durable and heat resistant than the original fiberglass surface. The vulnerable factory surface was one of the things I noticed when I first looked at my Ollie. I didn't want the faux granite either, as it is another resin surface. The stainless will acquire some character with use and that's fine. Only weighs about 8 or 10 lbs. I'd guess. The cabinet is really well built from the factory. The top is thick fiberglass and has a honeycomb structure under the stove. Very strong surface and surprisingly flat and square. I'm very happy with this upgrade and it's not very hard to do.
  5. [attachment file=20170420_183455.jpg] I just completed the installation of a 14 gauge 304 stainless counter top. BTW I've posted this twice before and it never showed up here in the forum?
  6. Where is this thread? Can't find it under Ollie Modifications
  7. Just installed a new counter top. 304 Stainless in 14 gauge. Here are some pix: [attachment file=20170422_211434.jpg] [attachment file=20170421_190811.jpg]
  8. Just finished the new counter top. 14 gauge, 304 stainless. Here are some pix:
  9. Reed, What is required to get reservations? PM me if you'd like. Thanks, John
  10. That is easy to defeat by simply removing the wheel. Then drive away on three wheels or bolt on the spare.
  11. Looking forward to your next post. Have fun!
  12. That looks really ice. But I can't remember buying a Black and Decker tool that I didn't almost immediately regret. Finally I gave up on them completely. A good battery vac would be really useful.
  13. Thanks Reed. We're down in the Bay Area so we won't see you till July at Bandon, I guess. I'd love to spend a few days in Yosemite. This working thing really eats into my time! I'll see if I can get a schematic from Oliver and look it over. I've done this before on my boat, but that was a few years ago and in that case I installed an inverter/charger which makes more sense to me than a separate converter and inverter.
  14. I haven't found how the Xantrex is installed in an Ollie. Is it wired into the 120 volt plugs circuits, or do you only have the plugs on the inverter? If it's wired into the existing, how is it automatically isolated from the shore tie power? It seems like an inverter/charger would be more practical than having separate units.
  15. John, If you are only interested in using it for power tools, you might consider battery operated tools with lithium ion batteries. I cut up a fairly large tree with my battery sawzall and a very aggressive blade. It's amazing how much work they'll do on a battery. Cheap too if you go with Ryobi from Home Depot. They are surprisingly good and very cheap on sale. Plus you could runs a drill and have no limit from the length of the power cord. I charge mine from a cigarette lighter style inverter or the 120 volt plug in my Ram. The small cigarette lighter inverters work well for charging laptops and phones too. Meanwhile, I'm going to install an inverter in my Ollie too. Mainly for some bigger loads, like the microwave. But I don't have a wiring diagram to see how Oliver integrates them into the trailers. I wonder where I can get a wiring diagram?
  16. I have even considered running without the spare tire cover if I could then have the same size tire as is on the ground. Has anyone tried to mount a 16" on the spare bracket? If it fits, a nice canvas cover would be OK. BTW, the fiberglass cover sticks out farther than the rear bumper and seems pretty vulnerable. I've got some rubber bumpers that I plan to put on the rear to fix that. It doesn't seem useful to rotate the tires. They'll time out before they wear out.
  17. The only advantage of All Terrains I can think of is possibly more braking traction under some circumstances in the dirt. But they are probably worse under other circumstances, like cornering or on wet pavement braking. Can't see how they would be more puncture resistant. Definitely more noisy than highway tread. I'm sticking with highway tread. Nice, quiet, low friction rolling and long tread life.
  18. Sherry, The 5200 lb axle is an excellent axle. It has larger brakes in addition to being stronger. I'm glad that's what you have. John, I've had some experience with the BFG All Terrain T/A and they are the worst tires I've ever had. Won't stay balanced, very weak sidewall, get noisy as they wear, etc. I had one that separated and the warrantee was worthless. There is a thread in another forum about them and the general consensus is to stay away from them. That's why I mentioned that I have the BFG Commercial T/A. I'm hoping they are better, but we'll see. I was thinking I'd rather have the Michelins if given the choice. I'm glad you mentioned the Michelin problems, I've never had a set.
  19. I'm still debating if it might be better to pull the cross bolt in the telescoping tongue and just pull out the bulldog coupler and put it away. That would leave an open hole where there used to be a coupler. I'll check tomorrow, but I wonder if a 1 7/8" ball would slip up into the closed bulldog hitch. If so, "The Collar" could be easily defeated. Also, a hidden switch on the front jack power wire, to disable it, would make it much harder to hook up. Another idea is to tie a string to the emergency breakaway switch and tie the other end to one of the wheels, or a big nail in the ground. After moving about a foot, the brakes would lock. Of course, the trailer would already be hooked up, but it wouldn't be going anywhere and there would be a big commotion. The coupler lock is the first line of defense and is right out there for the bad guys to see. A good deterrent.
  20. SeaDawg, My Oliver has 16" BFG Commercial T/A tires in the size you listed and load range E. I'd rather have the Michelins if given a choice. 3500 lb axles can have either the 5 or 6 bolt pattern. My Ollie has the 3500 lb axles with six bolt pattern. If yours has the five bolt pattern, it would be a simple matter of ordering new 6 bolt drums and new bearings to fit the 16" wheels. I think that would be a worthwhile change since 16" E rated truck tires are readily available. I haven't priced them, but new drums shouldn't cost more than about $50. each.
  21. Beat me to it. Those are the same ones I use. Cheap and seemingly indestructible. They also make good door stops in the garage!
  22. John, Your'e right about the coil springs on the newer 2500 model. Very nice and the way I would go if doing it over. My 3500 was too stiff at first and I discovered the dealer had put over 80 PSI in the tires. I set them down to 60 front and 50 rear (not towing) and installed a set of Bilstein shocks on the rear. It made a HUGE difference. The '13 and later, 4th gen trucks, take the same rear shocks as your '06. I had a new set left over from my 3rd gen and they went right on. I'm assuming yours is a SRW.
  23. I'm towing our Elite ll with a 2014 Ram 4X4 Cummins 3500 SRW. It's rated for a 17,420 lb trailer. This seems like overkill on paper, but it's a wonderful towing machine. Extremely stable, never seems to be working hard and never runs out of power on grades, so I'm comfortable passing slower vehicles on the steepest hills when towing. It also has a very relaxed engine sound because it doesn't have to rev way up to work. It has excellent brakes and a very powerful engine brake that does all of the holding back on downgrades. This saves the truck and the trailer brakes. The engine brake also works good in city towing or on secondary roads with a lot of speeding up and slowing down. So, the whole towing experience is without any drama and always with complete composure. It's impossible to overheat the tranny, either on steep dirt roads at low speeds, or pulling long highway grades. I think we're averaging, tank after tank, about 14 MPG towing and I like to cruise at about 65 where legal. The mileage gets better if I slow down a bit or if we get out of the mountains.
  24. I'm towing our Elite ll with a 2014 Ram 4X4 Cummins 3500 SRW. It's rated for a 17,420 lb trailer. This seems like overkill on paper, but it's a wonderful towing machine. Extremely stable, never seems to be working hard and never runs out of power on grades, so I'm comfortable passing slower vehicles on the steepest hills when towing. It also has a very relaxed engine sound because it doesn't have to rev way up to work. It has excellent brakes and a very powerful engine brake that does all of the holding back on downgrades. This saves the truck and the trailer brakes. The engine brake also works good in city towing or on secondary roads with a lot of speeding up and slowing down. So, the whole towing experience is without any drama and always with complete composure. It's impossible to overheat the tranny, either on steep dirt roads at low speeds, or pulling long highway grades. I think we're averaging overall, about 14 MPG towing, tank after tank. More if we slow down a bit or get out of the mountains. I like to cruise at about 65 where legal.
  25. Hey Reed, If you are considering an Anderson WD hitch I might be able to fix you up. An Anderson came with mine but I'm not going to use it (Ram 3500 tow vehicle). I could bring it to Bullards Beach in July or swing by your place on one of our commutes from Gardnerville to Redwood City. John
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