jd1923

Again Dean, you're welcome and I truly appreciate your kind words! 😂 I dove in without having much experience from others to learn from. A couple of years ago there were only a couple of prior Victron installations, now there are many. I had help in a prior installation from a capable and practical EE on the Bigfoot Forum where I had worked an entire solar/inverter/battery installation from scratch. So, our Oliver MP2 was my second attempt. Seven years ago, I did not know what an inverter was, nor a shunt or battery monitor! We learn as we build and you'll learn a lot in the doing. I went with installing the fan first only because fan and parts were <$100 and it's easy work before installing the MP2, not so afterwards. I thought it to be a useful addition, but we haven't really needed it. There's about 6 things I've done to our Oliver that we no longer use! 🤣 I did have to replace the Grey Tank Waste Valve afterwards, not fun, and to do so I had to remove the MP2. I had planned enough slack in the wiring to pull the MP2 up, half out of the basement and prop it up to work on the waste valve (see pic, disconnect battery ground before moving the MP2). The platform also had to come out. But it all went back in quickly. Another thing is how you mount the MP2. Many have glued a plastic mounting board to the hull. I built a structural platform with its two-footed base on the hull floor just above the aluminum frame. The MP2 is heavy, the new 4K model weighs 58 lbs!

Yep, no fun, it's quite a push. Just installed the 3rd tube in my 1st-ever power grease gun! Though once ya get er loaded, it’s a dream! 🤣 And thank you, Dan. You reminded me to do the grease/torque job, after a bit of travel and conveniently when our Oliver was sitting in the driveway hitched. It's my "first annual maintenance" since our suspension upgrade. Took me an hour each side. I lift the tires using the one leveler jack and remove the 2 wheels first, always. She's in my driveway, I have the air tools, so zip-zip off. If you don't have the HD compressor and pneumatic impact get the HD Dewalt 1/2" impact (compare torque ratings before purchase). Don't worry about installing wet bolts outside-in like some do, or using 45-degree Zerks as I had. The standard installation is just fine when you take the wheels off first. Inspect the tires too while removing gravel from the treads. Test brake amperage. Don't I have a thread on this? (linked below) I don't use dust caps on the Zerks anymore. They just collect dirt. I steel brush all the old grease & dirt off first. Then wipe with paper towels and after greasing use a screwdriver and my fingers to get ALL the grease that oozed out of every opening. It is a messy job. Grease first, torque second and YES with wheels off a lot of weight is off the suspension and it's lightly hanging. This time all wet bolts took grease without fiddlin' with them! Last time I had to loosen 2 wet bolts to get them to accept grease. I only needed a second wrench on one wet bolt to keep it from spinning while torquing; the others held on their own meaning they held in place since last maintenance. Only two U-bolt nuts, 2 out of 16, needed tightening at 95 ft-lbs and the two only moved an 1/8th turn each. The others were set, slightly rusted into place. All the parts including the Alcan shackles are like new, with no observable wear. I’d say that after one full year with an estimated 5,600 miles towing, our new Alcan-D52 axle suspension has broken in well. 😎

GJ, you make a good point and it is a wonderful world! I need a fully adequate TV for the Oliver and for me that's the 3/4-ton truck with exhaust brake. The 1/2-ton means less payload and Andersen WDH and maybe airbags or Timbrens, etc. Once you're up in 3500-land, might as well get a dually and a 40' fifth-wheel trailer! 🤣 Like Mike, I'm fine with driving our 3/4-ton truck around town. It's also fun to drive at times, but we have two "daily drivers" that are better around town. My '92 Lexus SC400 get's me to pickleball 3 times a week, more quickly with less fuel costs. The 1/2-ton truck gets a little better MPG than the 3/4-ton. The 3/4-ton will be safer. I buy older vehicles in good condition, fix them up myself so we could afford them. For the last many years, a new truck costs a small fortune, so we're often in this same discussion, "Can I tow more with less?" 🤠 I've read here about towing an OE2 with so many odd choices, OMG! This thread started re the GMC Sierra 1500 which can be a fine TV for some. Maybe for those who pack light and tow more worry-free. Having the 2500 is reassuring, exhaust brake better yet! You have to do what's right for you and there's more than just the basics. For example, I've learned that we must have a long-bed truck with 1500 LBS capacity just for stuff in the bed, including 35 gallons extra water. It's a must, for us. I drove a Quad-Cab Ram for 18 years. It was great when our son was young and we had two labs, but I will not own another 4-door truck. There's just two of us and I love the extended cab with the half-size suicide door. It's quick and easy and Charley loves his narrow bench seat back there! It was also very important to us to have the rig, the truck & trailer that look good together, a matched set! 😎 Our truck fits us and our needs. Make the right choices for yourselves, with a lot here to think about.

Hello Dean, you're welcome and thank you! Our upgrade was completed 2 years ago and I purchased the best Victron products available at the time. I didn't do our DC-DC upgrade 'til later which was a good thing as the Orion 50A had just come out which was far superior to the 30A model. This year Victron released a 70A Orion which like the larger inverter could be overkill. I would also consider the 4KVA Victron if upgrading today (unless I could find a good closeout sale price on the 3K model). The 3K model is all we need and 1 or 2 fans doesn't matter as I'm certain each model has adequate cooling for its design. The higher CFM would be noisier. It's close to the same size and weight so why not have the newest most capable model? Since we also upgraded our A/C to a variable-speed highly efficient A/C, I have not found the need where 3KVA has not handled our needs where we will run A/C and anything else at the same time without worry. When first installed, I had started our old Dometic P2, forgetting we already had the hot water heater running on inverter. That was the only time the 3K Victron struggled and BTW it outputted 3.5KW for a few minutes until I realized what happened. In answer to your specific question, re the additional Beech Lane fan I installed, I'd now say it's unnecessary. I've only used it a couple of times. The only time the MP2 gets somewhat hot is when battery SOC is low and we connect to shore power at a new campsite, heat of the afternoon, and the charger is set to full charge. Continuous charging is more of a heat issue than inverting and the MP2 will run fine up to 104F. The 3K MP2 can charge at 120A max. I believe max on the 4K unit is 160A. What I do instead is recharge more slowly. You can adjust charge amperage using the programming interface. Though it's easier to use the Victron Connect app. Just tell the app your shore power is less. Set allowed input to 30A, given you have that at the pedestal, the MP2 will charge at the full rate. Set input amps to less than 10A (10A on 120VAC = 100A on 12VDC) and the charge rate will be lower according to max amps specified. Love to see your installation. I installed a simple VE.Bus dongle to provide Bluetooth interface to the MP2 since I did not want a display. Your interface is via the Cerbo GX. The VE.Bus allows for adjusting input amps and can switch the MP2 (ON. OFF, Charger Only, Inverter Only). It also has a temp reading. I installed it on the wheel well above the MP2 to provide a reliable temp reading. If the MP2 is still charging when I'm going to sleep, I just reach for the phone and turn it off and back on when we wake. We're unplugged most of the time anyway. Charging is solar or DC2DC.

Love this tool. Mine sits on a shelf in our garage. No case, not towing with it. Also got the LockNLube coupler. I wipe the nozzle and each Zerk fitting clean after every squeeze of the trigger. Getting a tube of grease in any gun, manual guns too, is always a struggle, not easy to get the spring back in on a full tube. I don't know of any tricks, just push down on the workbench. Never tried bulk grease. I purchased a 10-pack of red #2 wheel bearing grease a few years ago.

Hey Ron, After seeing this picture, I realized you must have a 2015 Elite I, the single-axle baby Ollie! You should add a signature line so we realize that more quickly. Calling on @SeaDawg, @DavePhelps, @bugeyedriver and others with an older EI to advise! Most of us have the dual-axle larger EII with furnace right rear and there's so much different to which us EII owners would have no clue. Best wishes, JD

Seems odd to me to almost have an EV truck, but in addition to an array of batteries and all their weight, to have a v6 engine and fuel tank. Charge your tow vehicle and fill the tank, or use the fuel in your tank to charge your truck? Perhaps it's the best of both worlds? I've been driving 2500 Series diesel trucks for 23 years. @DanielBoondock was first to tow with the Sierra EV. I tow our Oliver with enough electrical upgrades to never need or use a generator when camping. If I was to go EV, it would likely be full-out! 🤠 We had this discussion just 2 weeks ago and this subject comes up every couple of months if you study this "Towing an Oliver" section of your Forum. Once Oliver owners tow with a 2500 Series pickup truck, we won't go back! Just ask @Rivernerd or @rideandfly, will you give up your F350? (recent TV upgrades)

Here's a picture of the service end of the Grey Tank. You can see the drain and waste valve on the left and the edge of the tank with label and SeeLevel sensor on the right. The space in the center is where I installed 1 of 2 footings for my inverter shelf. Across the top of the picture you see the 4" waste line, where far off to the right is the black tank and to the left is the drain at the rear bumper. Looking at the schematic Mike supplied, you can see that if the curbside of the trailer is lower the grey tank could still be 20% full when it stops draining. Does the black tank really have that 1/4-radius shape? I guess it makes sense but there's no way to see up there! 😎

Rare situation that hot & cold water flows through the kitchen sink and outside shower but not in the bathroom, with the same issue at the toilet! Did you do any work inside the bathroom vanity recently? I would start by removing the bathroom faucet/shower head and the toilet filter (again). Either these endpoints are the issue or somehow you have two internal obstructions on hot & cold lines somewhere past the water pump and hot water heater. It' won't hurt blowing air but what would cause these two obstructions at the same time? 1700 miles one-way to Hohenwald from AZ. Today this roundtrip would cost over $1,500 in diesel fuel. It's never an option for us.

Next was to create a roofline drip rail to eliminate the streaking down the rear. This time I took pictures of my early steps. First thing to assure the drip rail will be straight and parallel to the hull is to measure heights. I use the hull seam, the belly bar or hull waistband so to speak. It protrudes quite a bit and holds the tape measure nicely. I used 39" on the side rail (bending it around the top curve) and 33" for the rear. I cut a bunch of 1" pieces of blue tape and stuck them to the scaffolding to have ready. On the side rail, I placed them about every 16" and about every 10" on the rear. You place these at the height you want the drip rail. Then you place one STRAIGHT long length of masking tape which becomes the lower edge of the rail. Then measure 7/8" spacing to place a second line of tape. I marked the center using the Oliver sign and the 3 little marker lights and taped the end points 28" each way, 56" of drip rail for the rear. I made both drip rails 1/4" lower on the ends. Then sand the gap smooth, use acetone to remove the ceramic residue. Then remove the top line of tape and use rubbing alcohol to clean the area. Now it's time to place the Trim-Lok drip rail. After Bill's mention above, I read some of the "Window Gutter" threads. There was talk about installing on a hot day and maybe a heat gun, but none of that is necessary with the Trim-Lok product today. This product is great. It was 76F when I finished yesterday and the product is very flexible, keeping the straight line is the deal. BTW, our Furrion Chill Cube has never overflowed condensate since it is designed to use it in cooling the condenser fins, but if we are to camp in a hot humid location, you can see where the condensate would now be channeled. Our nose is always up a little higher and lift the curbside jack 1/2" taller than the streetside and any dripping will go down the corner area pictured. The massive Pinion Pine on the edge of our property makes the Chill Cube look even taller! 🤣 If you're on the highway one day, following an Oliver that has a rear drip rail and a matching rear porch light, that would be us in Hull #113! I like how the two drip rails come together in both rear corners. The back corner surfaces will get dirtier but an easy area to clean. And the old girl still looks nice and shiny now 10 months after ceramic coating! 😎

You're welcome, Tony and thank you! 😂 Yes, anything to be VHB taped must be done before ceramic coating or go through the steps I've listed above. Anything new to be screwed mounted, do afterwards. I removed a lot of exterior trim to get an overall better ceramic coating job. As-is you may still need a light scuffing of the gelcoat, acetone to remove residue and rubbing alcohol to clean prior to taping. If in the future any portion of the drip rail comes lose the whole job would need to be reworked! Don't want to do all this work? Ask your detailer if they would install the roofline drip rail when you get your ceramic coating work done. Covering the individual windows is a much easier job, no scaffolding required. The roofline drip edge should eliminate streaking if you have what I have. This could be regional or climate dependent. A lot of rain in your travel climates, perhaps covering the separate windows makes more sense. It's a choice. If I remember a picture of Bill's "Twist" correctly, it has drip rails over the windows. @topgun2? The 25 ft roll I received was 2" short. My roofline installation is 15 1/2 ft long and I have 112" leftover. The main windows are 4 ft. At most you would need 52" for each window. One roll will cover all windows or do one roofline drip rail and cover 2 windows. Two rolls will cover both rooflines and all windows. I'm going to use some of what's left over to create a roofline drip rail under the OLIVER taillight in the rear. You can see all the streaking we have there in the picture below. I'll show this installation soon.

Lifting the front jack is a MUST at least 2-3" high. We read the LevelMatePRO app to know. If there are two ways you can pull into a dump station, enter to be driving uphill whenever possible. This should get the black tank 98% empty. The black tank is a taller tank and if nose up it should empty fully. The grey tank is another story. Besides nose up the grey will only fully empty when the curbside is also up 1-2". This is because the 4" waste line exiting the grey tank heads out from the rear of the tank towards the streetside (pic1). If the curbside is very low, the grey tank could be half full and not able to empty. Every time we dump, I'm taking our two 8" Andersen Blocks out of the truck bed, one under the front jack and one under the curbside jack, often lifting the curbside wheels up in the air. I lift the front up first and then pull the black valve, then I raise the curbside and pull the grey valve in this same order every time! Lift before you open the valves so that the waste water runs out most quickly. We had an extreme situation at the Sunoco in Cedar City UT. You had to back into the dump station which was uphill. It took all this lifting to dump effectively! 😎 (pic2)

Dan, I quoted most of your message, beginning and ending with the best parts! I really like the start, "my good buddy jd1923." Back at you my friend, and your ending is perfect, "John you’re absolutely right." 🤣 It appears you're working 30 miles from home, without all your tools. I would think when replacing the U-bolts the leaf tie plates would be off where you can drill on a vise. If they're canted it must be the space between the holes is to narrow. I don't believe the cradles are actually wider since I got mine square. What I did since I was installing axles and springs at the same time was to get the U-bolts set with the parts on my garage floor (pic1). I tightened the U-bolts to the axles before installing the axles. I spent a bit of time measuring the distance from each brake baking plate to the leaf springs, and using 90-degree squares, the goal is to assure the leaf springs are as close to perpendicular to the axles as possible and the U-bolts perpendicular to the ground. I still cannot believe OTT is installing 1/2" U-bolts now, when on older hulls they installed 9/16"! So at some OTT Management Meeting a senior staff member came up with, "Let's upgrade our customers with D52 axles but save money on down-sizing the U-bolts." When I finished, you can see some light between the threaded portion of the U-bolts and each each leaf (pic2). But zoom into the front wheel picture and notice each bead of light is equal to or perhaps even slightly smaller in size at the top. This shows how close the U-bolts are to the leaf springs.

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, the floor set only 3 ft high to work 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. I was careful, but should have been more anal, laid a second line of masking tape so to sand exactly a 7/8" strip. 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! 🤣