jd1923

First step was to talk to my ceramic coating guy. I knew that 3M VHB tape will not stick well to ceramic coating. It's 39" from the bottom of hull belly seam to the bottom of the drip rail in the original installation. On the scaffolding, set only to 3 ft to be at eye level, I measured 39" up about every 18" left to right and placed a 1" piece painter's blue tape just where the new drip rail will be (this step not pictured). Then I ran the masking tape the entire length of the hull. Next step was to sand off the ceramic coating. I carefully hand sanded just <1" above the masking tape, first using a worn sanding sponge and then 400 and 800 grit paper. Smoothing it with acetone you could see the yellow ceramic residue on the rags. Final clean with 90% rubbing alcohol. Then, game on, VHB tape doesn't fool around! I cut the ends angled back using a hose cutter. Stuck down the first few inches just above the masking tape. You pull the red backing tape off only for the next length. You keep the 25 ft length coiled ahead of you. With an 8 ft scaffold, you also move it 3x as you work left to right. The product is a very soft PVC that can bend in any direction and stretch. You have to stretch it to get it in a straight line and then you have to let some tension off as you lay it down. It's not that easy keeping a straight line that long. I think it came out pretty good. I'm happy. From the ground it looks straight as an arrow! I took the final picture from up on a ladder so we can see the line. It is straighter than the "professional" who did the there other side and it's a good product which allows for a straight installation. 😎

This came up in another thread recently, but I didn't post my installation there since the title of the old thread was "DO NOT use this product." 🤣 Turns out with the help of @ScottyGS the best product is the Trim-Lok Drip Rail: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CJRH19Y/ We've had streaking down the hull exterior mainly from nightly condensate (not much rain here). Our nights year-round are a 30F drop in temps and condensation collects on the roof and after dawn it will trickle down the fiberglass making dirty striping all down the body. It seems even worse after we made the investment in a full detailing and ceramic coating (we just notice it more). The first picture is from 2023 when we purchased out Oliver. Prior owner had remove the original gutter from behind the awning and installed this drip rail, curbside only under the awning and this thread will show installing one on the other side. The new Trim-Lok I purchased looks to be the same. The issue is, except for the the curbside where drip rail was installed there is dirty striping, not easy to clean. The next two pictures show examples of the striping and the final picture shows a picture of the curbside which stays clean! Next posts will detail the installation...

Mike from Nashville was first to purchase Epoch (April 2024) and the Victron Multiplus II inverter/charger. He went with 2x 460 for 920 Ah in the Epoch Elite Series with Victron Comms. Two very large batteries just fit the battery bay without the Morryde tray which is not required, truly designed for watering lead acid batteries. The same two batteries today are listed at $5,200 (wow $2,600 each)! I believe the two were under $4K in 2024. I believe I was first to go with two 300 Ah Epoch Essentials for 600 Ah (mod link below). I purchased ours in July 2024 for $899 each. The list was $1,099 at the time, sale priced for $999, then 10% OFF for their 4th of July sale! Black Friday a year ago, I added a 3rd battery for $1,019 (ditched the tray, or you can keep it like Steve did). How did we ever do before 900 Ah? 🤣 When going Epoch you must consider the Essentials Series. The Elite is more expensive for "Victron Comms" and the PRO Series is a starter combo battery, no heaters or Bluetooth and you need a true Deep Cycle battery for power storage in an RV. Today the Epoch Essentials 300 Ah battery is up to $1,249! Epoch used to mark prices down and/or give 10% or 15% OFF. No more, look for their regular 5% off sale. However, last Black Friday gave 10% OFF and they could repeat that (just 2 months away). Also, if I was buying Epoch essentials today, they came out with a 334 Ah battery in the same case dimensions 2 lbs heavier for $1,299. This model is lower $/Ah ($3.89/Ah vs. $4.16). My first purchase was $3/Ah. If 334 Ah batteries were available previously I'd have 1002 Ah! Who will be first to break 1000 Ah? 🤣 Think that's too much? We run our variable speed A/C for days! https://www.epochbatteries.com/products/12v-334ah-lifepo4-battery Now with 2+ years experience, I will tell you the Epoch Bluetooth App really s#cks. Sometimes it sees my 3 batteries, sometimes 2 or none at all. Performance has gotten worse vs. better. I've uninstalled and reinstalled the app which doesn't help. I now count on my Victron Shunt and other Victron readings from the inverter, etc. The Epoch app sees all of my Ruuvi sensors and our Samsung products, so why in the world can their app not see their own products? 🙃 I've been the Epoch advocate for two years, but... This came up in another thread recently! I wrote a month ago that as their sales volume goes up, so will their price point! The price was $599 a month ago and now $30 more. give it a year and they will likely be $800 or more. https://www.vatrerpower.com/products/vatrer-12v-300ah-bluetooth-lifepo4-lithium-battery-with-self-heating-200a-bms-supports-low-temp-charging-4-f-5000-cycles-2560w-power I heard they have good reviews, from another Oliver owner, but do you own research on comparable LiFePO4 products today. If I was in the market, I would have jumped on 3 of these, 900 Ah for $1,800, or 600 Ah for $1,200 if that's enough for you. Just to be clear, I'm dissatisfied with the Epoch Bluetooth App, not the batteries. The Epoch Essentials have serviced us well for over 2 years, never a glitch. I have run them down under 20% SOC, down in the teens four (4) times and it no longer concerns me to do so (Chris worries a little). Via the Victron MP2 they perform as well whether full at 90%+ or low at 18% SOC and we run our inverter 24x7x365. For example, we just camped 10 overnights in SW Colorado, not once plugged in. We ran the Chill Cube A/C for 3 days, used everything 120VAC (oven, pressure cooker, induction plate, water kettle, TV/soundbar and modem/Wi-Fi). On day 10 we were down to 27% SOC of 900 Ah (which btw is equal to 81% SOC on 300 Ah Battleborn batteries). Got home with 40% SOC due to the Orion DC-DC charger while towing home (could have towed to another campsite with enough power for another 2 days). We have 320 rooftop solar and we setup our Renogy 400W suitcase on 4 of 10 days. The best thing you can do to your Oliver is get 2-3 times the Ahs in LiFePO4 batteries you'd ever think you'll need! 😎 Best wishes, JD

Almost forgot! Check out this horse ranch at the start of Winona Ranch Rd with views of the San Francisco Peaks! Flagstaff sits below the left end of this mountain range. Picture taken when leaving camp the next morning. Home in under 2 hours. “I’ll be back!” 🤠 Where are you camping or have recently visited? Please post!

I posted something about this BLM dispersed camping site in another thread, "Oliver - Again?" But this reference should really be in our favorite thread, "Where' Ollie!" So here it is! So many of us drive by Flagstaff AZ, whether you're going to The Grand Canyon or Sedona, elsewhere in northern AZ or just traveling to or from California! Winona AZ is 16 miles east of Flagstaff and just east of Walnut Canyon, which is worth a visit (I posted pics from our visit here just a few weeks ago). Walnut Canyon and these boondocking campsites are only 10 minutes south of I-40. Drive south on Winona Ranch Rd and turn right on FS Road 128. These are well maintained service roads with some ranch traffic. Our campsite was 2.5 miles down and there are 100s to chose from! Camp another few miles down this road and you'd be a short hike to the western rim of Walnut Canyon. 🤠

And he has the gall to think you're on a first-name basis! Good for you Craig, you got $50 OFF and most people effected won't ask. "If you don't ask, you don't get" is a good rule to live by. It takes time and patience, yes it's a PITA, but it never hurts to ask. We're heading that way next year. I understand it's hard to see Yellowstone, staying outside of the park due to the long distances, but $125/night is well beyond our budget! Anybody have some favorite campsites, boondocking or USFS campsites just outside of the park? Thanks

Nice! Windy? 🤣 Hey Todd, after your visit, please let us know about Yellowstone. Still too crowded or good this time of year? Thanks

We're talking TTs and not TVs. I've heard one of the negatives with EVs is tire wear. Yes, I do and here's why! (deja vu) On our '01 Dodge Ram 2500, the DOT label states 55 PSI Fronts, 80 PSI on the Rears with GVWR at 8800 LBS. Same Load Range E tires front and back, marked Max 80 PSI. Why does Dodge recommend 2 different fill pressures (PSI) for the exact same tire? The manufacturer is considering payload! With the bed empty our truck weighs about 6,000 LBS not 8,800. I run 60 in the rears around town and 70 PSI +/- when towing, considering gear and tongue weight. With 80 PSI in the rears and an empty truck bed, the solid axle will bounce down the road which is bad for the tires and suspension and feels like cr@p when driving! 55 PSI carries the Cummins engine up front. 80 PSI is recommended for the rears when actual load is at the GVWR of 8,800 LBS (we're never close). When we are fully loaded with tools, camping gear, full fresh water tanks in TT and 35 gallons in the TV, the Oliver is 6,400 and the TV is 8,300 LBS including tongue weight. For reason unknown, OTT recommends PSI higher than what carries the 7K GVWR. 🙃 We used to own an '03 Ram 2500. Same engine/trans, very similar truck but next Gen. It was spec'd at 9,000 LBS GVWR, 60 PSI fronts and 70 rears. Why the difference? 200 LBS higher GVWR and 60 vs. 55 PSI front and 70 vs. 80 rear! The '03 was quad-cab short-bed vs. our long-bed truck which can hold more weight in the bed. The '03 had more weight in the cab. It's always about the weight. Got the 2WD truck and trailer stuck in the mud while camping recently. Detached the trailer, aired down the rear tires on the TV to 30 PSI. Crawled the truck out, road it briskly down the dirt/gravel road to get the mud out of the treads. Backed to the trailer in a straight line, hitched and backed the trailer out in the same path we road in. I towed about a mile down the damp dirt road at 30 PSI. When on higher ground, I aired up for highway towing. I run 13 PSI in my dirt bike and 15 PSI on our SxS which is nowhere near the max rating but go higher and the front tire on the dirt bike will skid in a turn and the SxS if set to 2WD would spin on gravel. I run HIGHER tire pressures than the manufacture's recommendation on our '08 GX470 when highway driving since OEM is a P-rated tire and I upgraded to LT Load Range C tires which needs minimum pressure. I run pressure higher on my Lexus SC400 with wider HP tires since I like the steering light with a little skid! (less traction). On a race car 1-2 PSI can make a world of difference and nobody runs GVWR spec'd pressure on any sport vehicle. This is likely the 10th time I've explained this and hope it's my last! 🤣

Is the hot water also blocked at the bathroom sink? (They are separate lines.) If cold only, there is one line that feeds the bathroom (see plumbing schematic). What I would do first is blow air through all of your lines. Bypass your hot water heater first. I do this to winterize. Air will empty the lines and perhaps could move an obstruction. I made this tool to connect to the City Water inlet. You'll need a decent air compressor with good air volume. Set compressor pressure to 50 PSI which is your water pump pressure. Given it's both the toilet and bathroom faucet, it cannot be the toilet filter or the faucet restrictor. If air does not help, you could try it in the reverse direction. Take off the faucet head and with another attachment blow air from the bathroom faucet back. Hope this helps! Best wishes, JD

Item #1 Mileage is generally irrelevant. I put 19K on our trailer in 3+ years. I'll reach years of use before mileage/tread wear and so will most of us towing our Olivers. MPG is likely only a % better at higher PSI. Over inflation will NOT minimize Stress nor optimize suspension performance. The correct pressure for the load will. Overfilled tires create a small contact patch on the road, will cause uneven tire wear, and can be dangerous is slippery road conditions. Bob's example below is likely average usage. Some may tow 10K miles a year, but very few of us. We've been towing 6K miles/year.

Coming back from Colorado to AZ, it takes a full day drive to cross the Navajo Nation. It's a shame that many tribes around the country live on casino revenues, but it is what it is. I learned gambling was not for me at a very young age. Many casinos in the west allow for overnight camping! No charge to stay overnight at Flowing Water Casino! We spent $10/night at Quechan Casino Resort in the very SE corner of California, when going to Los Algodones Mexico, the dentistry capital of the southern border for professional reasonable work and free cleanings! 🤣 Just drive up to the entrance and ask security. At this location, the officer named Everette was so friendly and helpful. He wrote down our names, license plate numbers and asked for my phone #, told us about casino hours and the restaurant inside. They have a large gravel lot for campers! It was very quiet at this small casino with one noisemaker at 2AM that security handled. There's nowhere else to camp around Shiprock NM! A Casino Resort might be a good place for an occasional overnight stay. He made us feel welcomed, we had the lot to ourselves and it was a beautiful night.

Dan, perhaps you're the one and only one unconvinced on our Forum today! The subject has been brought up at least annually for the last 10 years! Using Chris' @Wayfinder's search tool, I searched for TIRE PRESSURE, lot's of hits. Give this a try and read some of the many articles: https://www.google.com/search?q=TIRE+PRESSURE&as_sitesearch=olivertraveltrailers.com%2Fforums All tire manufactures have load/pressure tables. I use this table for the tires installed on our hull. OTT stated the 80 PSI recommendation on the DOT label on early hulls, mine included. Later it was 65 PSI and we can read in these threads, some owners were told 55 PSI by OTT Staff when they took delivery. Ask an older retiree from what was Firestone corporation, "Who was right about inflation pressure for the Ford Explorer?" In this case the auto manufacture Ford recommended LOWER pressure than the tire manufacture's printed standard. They basically aired a 1/2-ton truck to 26 PSI which "killed 238 people and injured around 500 others in the United States alone; more died in other countries." I figure tire manufactures know tires and OTT knows fiberglass! Except for Steve, and maybe soon enough you too Dan, most Olivers are closer to 6K vs. 7K LBS. Ours was weighed once at 6,400, but let's apply the full 7K to the load/pressure table. Keep in mind, 7K on the trailer axles plus tongue weight, means at least a 7,600 LB trailer (very hard to carry that much)! 7,000 / 4 = 1,750. This table recommends 40 PSI. 65 PSI will carry 10,480 on 4 tires, 80 PSI 12,340 LBS. As I wrote above, I agree with Bob's numbers. For 3 years, 20K miles, I've set pressure somewhere in the 45-52 range. 45 PSI for summer travels, and a little higher during winters. Some go with 55 PSI. OTT recommending 80 PSI for years caused a lot of interior damage; screws on drawer slides coming lose, plumbing fittings cracking, electrical connections failing, LEAF SPRINGS FAILING, etc. OTT recommending 65 PSI; now you have 10K in tire/wheel carrying capacity, on 10K axles, on 10K in Alcan springs, besides your piano, you can add enough equipment for a 4-piece band, if you can find the room! 🤣

This is correct in that you will need an additional solar charger. It is not recommended to have one controller for panels of different makes and wattage and adding 400W is just too much for your OEM controller. We run the Renogy 400W suitcase and added a Victron 30A MPPT SC. The new SC should be very close to your batteries, connected with heavy gauge wire. We used 8 AWG 1-2 foot length to the +/- buses. Wire from your suitcase to the SC can be light. 12 AWG is required for 400W. I used 10 AWG since Lowes had a crazy sale on some at the time. Wire costs a lot today, but labor hours are worse when hiring a solar installer. It's not a difficult installation. I made my own cables for cost savings, but you can buy any kind of cable with custom premade terminals here: https://powerwerx.com/wire-cable

Just came off a 10-day trip to Colorado. Thank goodness our issue started on the last night. The green LED showing 12V+ to the water pump went off by itself and the water pump stopped working. Checked the fuse in the panel and it was good. The issue was intermittent. Throwing the switch under the pantry an hour later, the green light appeared again so Chris quickly washed the dinner dishes! 🤣 Later that night we got nothing again, but just in time for morning bathroom use it worked, yay! (We had planned to wash and flush manually refilling gallon water jugs. We always have extra water in the fresh water tank in the truck bed.) So we're home a couple days so it's time to fix this. I remembered Geoff's explanation above, found it and studied it again. Actually the schematic he drew in his 4-way switch post really got me to fully understand the 3-way switch (study his picture without the the 4-way switch added, travelers connecting left to right). I had remembered his key phrase "No ground wires are involved in these switches." So my first thought is I need a ground for testing. Can't check voltage with a multimeter without a ground. So I cut a 12 ft length of wire, stripped one end and connected it to the ground bus under the dinette seat. I crimped a butt connector on the other end for the negative pin on the multimeter. With this test wire I have a ground source anywhere I need inside the cabin. While I was at it, I quickly tested all the fuses in the panel. I decided to leave this test wire connected for future testing when needed (pic1 notice the yellow/red-striped wire now coiled up under the rear dinette). Later I tucked it underneath in the empty corner below. I found 13.2V at both 3-way switches. Then I used my trusty spade jumper to first check for continuity between the travelers which tested positive (pic2). Then I used the same jumper to connect the Common wire to a Traveler wire (not pictured, think the common/purple wire jumped to either traveler). This pulls that 3-way switch out of the equation. The jumper creates a closed circuit, an ON condition for this side of the 3-way switch. As soon as I did so the water pump was back to working. This shows the issue is in the 3-way switch in the bathroom, or its connections, as suggested by this thread. Notice, I'm connected to the 3 spade terminals on the left (pic3). The bathroom switch has 6 spade connections but you only need 3 in line. I moved the wires to connect on the other 3 on the left. The RH spade terminals had gotten a little crusty in 10 years of use and notice the top-right spade is bent, in fact the female connector on that traveler was very lose. The switch works fine now. The connections were lose but now the left side connections are snug. I added some electrical tape to hold all 3 wires as a unit and then duct tape to hold the wires down. This simple addition will take the weight of the wires and vibration while towing off the switch (pic4). This should keep the connections tight longer. Going forward, look at the bathroom switch first. Not fun when something happens while camping. Thank you @David and Gail, you learned this a year ago and I had somewhere to look for help! 😎

Welcome! Soon we need to find Ollie in an Ollie! 😎