jd1923
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Posts posted by jd1923
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3 minutes ago, mountainoliver said:
There was a forum posting a month or so ago concerning the exact same issue along with very similar photos. I copied and saved the photos but not who posted them. I’m assuming that this is a different owner/situation? If this is a new issue then yikes another epidemic to lookout for like springs!
That would be me and it was about 8 months: Check your frame, any damage? Welds good? - Mechanical & Technical Tips - Oliver Owner Forums (olivertraveltrailers.com)
Something I found just after we purchased our used hull. I would not think to bolt this. Just find a welder that can work aluminum. We had two frame braces broken on the curbside. I found a local guy who runs a metal salvage yard and does metal artwork. He charged me $75 and I gave him $100 cash. Doesn't look as pretty as the original, but they have held. Make sure your trailer tires are below 50 PSI!
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3 hours ago, MichaelE said:
This took the wind out of my sails. My pickup date is April 11th. I purchased thinking I had access to factory service and repair. Here’s hoping the nightmare dealer stories aren’t true!
Make sure you camp there a few days upon delivery. Use everything, test everything and they should make all necessary warranty repairs at that time. You will receive a high-quality TT that should only need regular maintenance that can be conducted by any good local mechanic. Most of the work, so many of us do on our Olivers, are mods the factory does not offer.
On 3/28/2024 at 12:33 PM, Tom and Doreen said:we really enjoyed going down to the factory for service; great people.
I understand many of you do a regular pilgrimage to OTT, and we would love to too, if it were something we could afford to do in terms of 1000s of travel miles and service costs. When we purchased our used unit last summer, I was happy to see our hull had made two such service visits, through the years, with a lot of good work done.
We will all continue to love our Olivers regardless of service location! 🙂
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2 hours ago, MAX Burner said:
11. Throw away the cheap-ass Chinese made spring pack. (OBTW: Our's weighed 10lbs even as compared to the Alcan 5-leaf spring pack of USA steel at 18lbs! We still have the fourth spring to replace today - but the three removed so far were definitely starting to flatten.)
Must be a little adlib going on here, but I could not agree more. 🤣 I don't think the guys at "Forged in Fire" would touch this stuff while spring steel should make a good blade.
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On 3/28/2024 at 12:21 PM, Steph and Dud B said:
The big RV manufacturers are closing plants right now...
Lots of false stories re the economy, the data shows the economy is not good. Four years ago, gas at $2 +/-, then it was $5-7 depending on location, so are we are supposed to be happy at $4? Not!
Our bills are 30-50% higher, in every category, than 4 years ago! Reason why I now have a long wish list for 2025, and if stuff gets worse, then I will repair what's absolutely necessary, meaning Oliver mods willl have to wait! 🙃
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I can't upload photos today. Anybody else?
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@MAX Burner what was your installation procedure? Was the tension released as soon as you lifted the frame? Does it matter which bolt you pull first? Thanks
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I tried the same thing, and it didn't work for me. I ended up with a variable speed water pump and the manufacturer specified NOT to use an accumulator. I have 2 on hand if anybody needs one!
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I believe there was a mention of another 1" +/- in an earlier post (pages back). Likely you need to have as extra 1-2" height clearance in your garage door.
Our Oliver will likely never see the comfort of a garage!
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I want to remove ALL the old messy silicone caulk OTT had applied at the factory and prior owners adding to it. I just spent 15 minutes searching for their 0240 product. I found a company to buy a case. Anybody know where to buy 1-2 cans?
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@MAX Burner you're the man Art! I want a new set of springs now! 😂
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I didn't realize the window alone was aftermarket. I mentioned wind, but now it appears it could simply be over-tightening of the window mounting screws.
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Another suggestion...
What caused this? I would say it's the door banging in the wind!If you take time and money to replace or rebuild this door, spend another few bucks to eliminate the cause: Amazon.com: Lippert RV Entry Door Friction Hinge Kit for 5th Wheel, Travel Trailer and Motorhome Pack of 2 : Automotive
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Looks like a pretty cool door! Our a 2016, a little older, only has a bathroom-style frosted glass window. Would this be a custom door, DIY replaced? The picture shows an accordion style roll-up shade, clear glass behind. This is a special RV door!
It would be difficult to replace one with like options. I would think about repairing the interior skin. You could remove the window bezel and then remove the interior skin and replace that with sheets of 1/8" textured white plexiglass.
You have cracks everywhere! Many around the window appear to the exactly horizontal and then the obvious one, down the bottom-left corner. Does anybody else here have this style of door? If so, then yes service ticket, but it looks like a mod to me.
If it was mine, I'd love to replace the interior door skin, and make it better than new!
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1 hour ago, Mike and Carol said:
Will be very interested in your results!
Me too. All of us are interested!
An engineering experiment...
What if you had a large chunk of clay and put it between the axle and the frame. Drove down a test road and measured the height of compression before and after the test drive.Then do the same test, same path of road, with new leaf springs. The clay would likely be taller to start, but a ratio of compression, before and after would be measured.
Yep, clay is old-school, so I love it! There are modern ways to measure this...
My challenge to you, my special new friend, Art! 🤣
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1 hour ago, Townesw said:
This is one that I found: https://www.irv2.com/forums/f54/water-pressure-regulators-255560.html
Great thread here! This post is key, from senior IRV2 member TeJay:
"The cheap RV regulators don't regulate the pressure they just restrict the flow. That will in effect reduce the chance of over pressurizing your system if a CG has high water pressure. You do have a reduction of pressure but also a reduction of flow. With a true regulator you don't lose the flow or volume."Thank you, Bill & Martha! Yes, remove the cheap restrictors and purchase a quality pressure regulator. @Lisa Rae just came to this conclusion as she wrote above. I will also delete the installed restrictors.
Lisa, you may consider removing the (winterizing/boondocking) brass water valves that restrict the flow to 1/4". I replaced them with motorized valves, or you could use manual valves that are 1/2" or at least 3/8" ID which is the true ID of 1/2" PEX connectors.
Now I see why they only promise the 40-50 PSI range, since they restrict flow and not pressure. This is also the reason why my upgraded water pump provides better flow and pressure pulling from the Fresh Tank, vs when we connect the City Water inlet at the campsite.
We still have the bathroom faucet issue, i.e. less flow than the kitchen faucet. There must be something inherent to the plumbing of our 2016 hulls, since many newer model owners do not have this complaint. I don't believe it's mineral buildup, since that would be everywhere, and I measured without the faucet heads installed. You can't "kink" PEX, but more length and multiple restricting connectors could do it. Also in ours, the plumbing in the vanity makes way more noise than our quiet new water pump. After we finish our travel this season, I will open the bathroom vanity and follow the water lines (and the furnace ducting) from the pump at the curbside bed to the wet bath!
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10 hours ago, Townesw said:
I have hull 313. I have 2 check valves under the basement floor just under the door...
I’ve not found any of the brass Camco flow restrictors down there. The plumbing diagram shows the check valves but doesn’t show any “pressure regulators”...
I've seen the schematic showing check valve only before. Yours is that way and easier to reach in your 2018 model. Mine is exactly like @Lisa Rae's and we both have 2016 hulls. Two devices on each line, backflow check-valve AND pressure regulator at the REAR of the basement instead.
I found out the 40-50 PSI regulator is a RV standard of old. See this item that Amazon calls "Overall Pick" with 21K reviews: Amazon.com: Camco Camper/RV Water Pressure Regulator | Protects RV Kitchen Small Appliances, Plumbing & Hoses | Reduces RV Water Pressure to Safe and Consistent 40-50 PSI | Drinking Water Safe (40055) : Automotive
One of my many summer projects will be to remove the internal 40-50 PSI regulators, clean and replace the backflow/check-valves and get an external adjustable pressure regulator like you showed. Wow, this one is very expensive at $280, but again I don't want the $11 40-50 PSI unit, or one of the dozens of China-made adjustable units on Amazon for $30 +/-. Is yours made in the U.S.A.?
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4 hours ago, Geronimo John said:
... I'm all ears!
GJ
Me too, isn't that why we login each day? Thank you GJ, this made my day!
@Mike and Carol reinforced my thought that my 450AH of LA might be good enough for many camping styles. And we have a near new battery bank the prior owner purchased in 2021.
@MAX Burner also reinforced the idea, stating 300 AH works for them (although Art has a KILLER DC-to-DC installation).
I'm going to keep reading, learning and likely will put off an LI upgrade for a couple of years. Just ask @SeaDawg, as she has been babying her AGMs for years. At the same time, would love to have 600AH of Epoch LI batteries ready for your next trip. All in time...
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On 3/25/2024 at 1:45 PM, Townesw said:
I got better flow everywhere in the Oliver when I switched from this... to this.
Thank you @Lisa Rae and @Townesw!
So, when I get a chance to crawl into the rear basement...I will clean the water backflow preventers (aka check valves, a required component to achieve plumbing system pressure, allowing the water pump to cut-off/stop) on both lines and REMOVE the pressure regulators on BOTH lines, and instead use an external pressure regulator. Or perhaps, I could find an alternative to integrate an adjustable pressure regulator internal to the Oliver which of course would be preferred.
Love the fact that in the pic, we see pressure regulated to just under 60 PSI, not 40 PSI, anywhere near the OEM regulator. 60 PSI is a good number, 40 PSI is NOT! We run 60 PSI in our 45-year-old home with copper plumbing, sweat solder joints. A modern PEX plumbing system can function up to 100 PSI. Thank about this.
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I'm an old map guy too, but you cannot ever buy the thousands of USGS maps, in quadrangle detail available. I have hiking maps, trail maps marked with dispersed camping detail, and more. Not talking about driving down an Interstate or US highway.
Check out this map we downloaded for your first ever Oliver camp last July. Do note, the roads with the '. . .' alongside the roads. These stand for roads that allow dispersed camping. There is NOT a printed map in the world that shows this detail except for some NFS maps. The blue dot was our camp and the next pic explains itself!
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Slow speed on the cordless drill, holding straight, even constant pressure. Never had fancy drill bits in all my years, since every repair is a one-off (unless you run a woodshop). Go for it! ☺️
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I'm hoping those of you with hull #s >1000 have better water pumps installed by OTT. There are 100s of RV water pump options today! Eight (8) years ago we got this OEM installed pump (pic 1) and with my recent upgrade I installed this instead (pic 2). Retail it's $80 vs $200 and at OEM cost it's likely $40 more which anybody paying $100K larger for a high-end TT should get. Penny-wise and pound-foolish, as they say.
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22 hours ago, Geronimo John said:
I have three and would be hard pressed to figure out how you got four of them in there unless yours are the ones mounted sideways with buss bars utilizing great care and extremely brilliant craftsman skills.
For the normal DYI owner, three 100 amp BB's seems the limit.
GJ
GJ, Mike and many others, have better batteries than we! 450 AH of lead acid here. I read here that two 300AH Epoch batteries fit, which is totally amazing! By the time we upgrade, 2025, 2026, I'm hoping some manufacturer can stuff 800AH into the bay size holding four 6V golf cart batteries!
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We were out on a short camp last week. My wife commented the diverter switch was difficult to push (I only took outdoor showers). When measuring flow rates, as I suggested above, you could remove the shower head and kitchen faucet head to measure, eliminating the restriction of the head itself. You can do the gal/sec measurement with and without the faucet head and that can be very telling. I always remove the restrictors in EVERY home or RV faucet.
Thank you very much bs.gov for adding restrictors into every imaginable plumbing device. Restriction, after flow restriction adds up cumulatively, making a 3 GPM pump in our Olivers produce 1.5 GPM at their very best!
I used to travel a bit for business, usually checking in on Sundays for 4 nights to teach a corporate training class. Standard toolset in my suitcase were pliers, a pick, etc. to get a good shower for 4 nights. As a decent citizen, I put the hotels' plumbing system back as was, prior to check-out. But what a pain!
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All the details are here:
Broken frame crossbeam?
in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Posted
Mine had the two failures, yet every other weld was perfect, no other cracks at all. The purpose of my previous past was as the title suggests...
"Check your frame, any damage? Welds good?"
All OTT Owners should make this an annual check. I spend a lot of time crawling under cars, trucks and trailers. Generally, I find something that needs maintenance or repair, more often than not.