jd1923

Already had a Dewalt cordless in my garage for car care, so I have it on our departure list. Chris uses a half-length broom for the center hallway and takes one minute with this around the edges. I have many of these 20V batteries required and an extra charger sits in the Oliver Attic. Mine is an older version: DEWALT 20V MAX Cordless Wet-Dry Vacuum, Tool Only (DCV580H) - Vacuum And Dust Collector Accessories - Amazon.com I'm in the camp with @topgun2, can't "justify carrying yet another piece of equipment." The vac sits in a TV toolbox and there is no way I would mount something in the Oliver closet which has just enough space. I might have other Dewalt tools with me, an impact or drill, and always have one or two of these for the campsite (I got everybody in the family one for Christmas, so they stop taking mine)! DEWALT 20V MAX LED Work Light, 100 Degree Pivoting Head, Up to 1000 Lumens of Brightness, Cordless (DCL050) - Amazon.com And finally, the inside stays cleaner when the campsite is clean! I always bring this in the TV. I blow the common Arizona red-oxide dust off the hull after a dirt road excursion, and I blow the camping mat clean after our Charley (like what@MAX Burner calls "Knuckleheads") brings all the dirt, dust, burrs and weeds in from our surroundings! I have a larger AH battery or this unit, yet all Dewalt 20V are interchangeable: Amazon.com: Dewalt DCBL722BR 20V MAX XR Brushless Lithium-Ion Cordless Handheld Blower (Tool Only) (Renewed) : Patio, Lawn & Garden

I forgot about the 300AH model, and it makes a whole lot of sense! Thanks for the reminder. Go with the two 300s is my take. Bottom line, 460AH is VERY good, 600AH is exceptional, and if you're our friend @rideadeuce who ditched the tray to go for 2x460, OMG 920AH is "priceless." Both options fit in the battery tray. The smaller 300s at 58 LBS are easier to handle in length and weight vs. the 20+" 84 LB monster. At today's prices I calculate the 460 is $3.04/AH and the 300s are $3.66/AV, but you get 600AH! Right now, the is a MEMORIAL10 code, so two 300s are 1,978.20 plus tax and ship! Wow, I want these, but still have to wait for other mods. Last Black Friday they had an extra 15% OFF sale. You could start with just one, but that is barely more usable AH than what you already have. As far as wiring @topgun2 is correct, but I would not pull a fuse in your tow vehicle (TV). You may want it when towing another trailer and forget it's disconnected. It is simple enough to pull the wire at the positive busbar. Here is a picture of mine, though your newer hull may be different. Should be a black wire, easy enough to test. When disconnected from both busbar and TV it should show open/no voltage. When connected to the TV you should read +12VDC. Test OFF and ON until you are certain. In my pic, it's the black wire on the left hanging. Later I taped it up and taped it to another insulated wire, so it sits open.

Welcome Derek, your hull is just a pup, and we love mods! When you get a chance, fill out your signature so we all can better help you. Of interest in your hull # of course, tow vehicle, general location and anything else you want tagged at the end of your posts. Meet you on the road or rally!

Nothing wrong with that antenna. You should get signal in the cab. Is the AC blocking line-of-sight to the TV. Mount it a little taller? Strange.

It's about the only trailer tire (ST) made in the USA! Put a set on my flatbed trailer 5 years ago. When I noticed the price today, I was like, What??? Just the cost of the today's economy. I'm going to have leave these on 10 years vs. 7! We only use it on slow roads around the county to haul dirt bikes, or an occasional trip to Lowes or Depot, low miles, keep them covered. Size on mine a little smaller. That would have been +$10 back then. Wow, by the time I need new ones they'll be $300 each!

Thanks @SeaDawg, the 026 just hit a 30-year anniversary. New carb and fuel lines, 20" bar and a tune-up 2 years ago and she screams like new. You probably know by now, calling "the guy" is a last resort for me. We had a mature American Elm at a home we had in N VA. A friend when leaving said, "Do you know your tree is splitting?" It was the kind of tree that had 2 main trunks and it was splitting right down the middle. It looked like the one side was going to break and fall. Of course, that was the side that would land on the dining room of our 2-story red brick colonial. Oh man, a tree guy would cost a small fortune on this one! I did an engineering study of height, angle, mass, and thought and looked, and thought and looked... About 10 days later, I got up the courage. We put two 24' extension ladders to get up as high as possible. Used double HD tow cables and tied the two trunks together at that height. I cut a wedge aiming down the driveway and away from the house. Then held my breath and cut the backside slowly. The trunk leaned and the cables drew tight. Then it pivoted at the cut and landed 180 from the house. Chris has the whole episode on video somewhere. It broke a couple landscape timbers is all. Got out the 100' tape and that trunk was 80+ ft! We spent the next 2 weekends cutting it up for firewood. I did have a 30HP Kubota then with a front-end loader to help! Next time the buddy came over he asked, are you going to cut down the other side. I said, I got nothing but acreage that direction. It can fall when it needs to.

Decent combo-unit @JBurton. It should save space and time!

Whoa @SeaDawg! Sherry, it's a good thing that appears a light landing on the roof. Looks like the leaves and density of small branches cushioned the fall. We had an oak tree branch downed by lighting years ago. It took down a gutter, some roof damage and the rear of a Dodge Intrepid certainly needed a body shop. Hope it's just clean-up for you! If I was in the neighborhood, I'd be over right away with my Stihl 026 and pole-pruner to help! 🙂

I went with a more permanent install on the paper towel holder and our side shelf is attached with magnet discs VHB to the side (shelf sits bottom of the attic when using the beds). The holder came with shaped tape to fit and after one outing it fell off. I cut 3M VHB 4950 to fit the small base and it's been holding even since.

Very cool, lots of good ideas here! Given suction cups can hold your flag, blowing in the wind is a testament for holding strength. My bias comes from those phone holders and other suction cup attachments designed for the truck windshield. One came with my gauges display. I mounted mine permanently below the dash. Once we get a shine on our exterior, it should work. Agree with Bill on the garbage can holder. I like the little one for interior use. Our interior fiberglass shines like new so should it maintain a good hold.

Just purchased two cans of the Debond and thanks again. Not bad with no tax added and only $5 S&H. Chris is the painter in our family, keen on detail. She has volunteered for this duty and was happy to hear of this product. Will report back on how it worked. We're just doing the prep work, so that when I take it to a professional fiberglass detailer, I won't have to pay many shop-hours for prepping. I don't want them working around old caulk but instead getting right to the edges. I will also remove as much exterior trim as possible, like taillight bezels and doghouse handles, just to name a few, before dropping it off for detail work. I expect the professional to use the 1200 grit sandpaper and do whatever is necessary to remove oxidation, and if I was to recaulk what's necessary, not for "asthetics" it would be as you suggested, by someone who knows "the ins and outs of the sealant." After cleaning up the cr@p, I'll spend my time on installing a new AC unit and other mechanical tasks per my core competencies. BTW, the only mold/mildew on our Oliver, inside or out, is on the caulk outer surfaces! 🤣

5-bolt 15" wheels are standard for the 7000 GTWR. Olivers were originally over-engineered. Costs saving perhaps. I have a dual-axle flatbed trailer, two 3500 LB axles with four 15" wheels and of course ST vs. LT tires. This is common, OTT did us better, but I guess not on new hulls.

@rideadeuce, does your CradlePoint have an external antenna to broadcast Wi-Fi? If not, this is why you cannot receive Wi-Fi at your TV. The access point is a simple wired solution or a superior broadcast antenna. The Parsec has 4 cellular antennas to bring in cell signals, SIM card in the router for your cellular carrier (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon). We went with a Business T-Mobile account since they recently added 5G in our area. It has a GPS antenna for location accuracy, and 2 Wi-Fi antennas to broadcast a good 100 FT full circle around the antenna. Chris can be online, at highspeed while I'm towing

Not always having good luck with suction-cup attachments, I went this route: JONKEAN White Handheld Shower Head Holder with 2 Hanger Hooks, Strong Adhesive Shower Head Holder, Adjustable Shower Wand Holder Wall Mount, Bathroom Waterproof Shower Handle Holder No Drill Need - Amazon.com The main plastic holder detaches and only a 1/4" thin clear piece left taped to the Oliver. During travel the holder fits nicely where the shower head is stored. I use it often!

@rideadeuce just remembered something... It's better if the access point is physically in your truck. You can run Ethernet from the attic to the basement, all the way front to the hitch area. Like many have run with their DC-to-DC cabling. Then another leg of Ethernet under the truck to the interior. Mount the access point behind the rear seat like I did my router install. It runs on 12VDC, so you will have to pull a run from the truck fuse panel, likely by the driver-side kick panel. I saved this on my Wishlist, when I was planning to do the same job: Amazon.com: IP68 Waterproof RJ45 Coupler, Shielded Pure Copper Waterproof Ethernet Coupler, IP68 Waterproof Ethernet Outdoor LAN Cable Connector for Cat5, Cat5e/Cat6/Cat7/Cat8 Ethernet Cable (Black 2 Pack Female) : Electronics

Mike, you don't want 2 routers, because then you have two logins, need two antennas, splitters are not good, and more issues. What you need is a Wi-Fi access point. Then you would run ethernet cable from your CradlePoint router to some forward cabinet position. I have a Pepwave Access Point, included our bundle and did not use it. I thought I may need it distance to the trailer, but not so due to the power of the Parsec antenna. You could just get a better antenna. I can read Wi-Fi at 2.4GHz and 5GHz right now from my home office to my truck presently parked 100 FT away going through two walls. Parsec Husky Pro 7-in-1 Antenna – MobileMustHave.com I was about to list this item on Craigs for sale! PM me if you're interested at my Oliver family discount, part still NIB: AP One AC Mini - Peplink Wireless 2.4ghz/5ghz A/B/G/N/AC Wireless Acce – MobileMustHave.com As you can see a simple wired access point is a lot less $$$ than a high-end antenna. And both will have their own installation challenges to consider. Best wishes, JD

Oh and BTW, the NHTSA should have Bulldog Manufacturing run a recall too! They mislabeled a 5000 LB coupler with a 7000 LB label! Check page 4 of this thread. @Jason Foster asked for a better picture of the label, then I wrote a commentary re wrong labeling, Bulldog being at fault, not OTT.

In the 5 pages of recall info OTT sent us, all it states is "Your unit must be inspected..." Everything else is about replacement and reimbursement. Manufactures are responsible to communicate recalls. Consumers are not legally bound to reply. I have received over 100 recalls through the year and everybody here has too. I have never replied to Dodge, Ford, Toyota or any other. I will call for a service appointment when service or replacement is required, but if not I merely file the paperwork in my file for that vehicle. I was about to do the same here, but since @Geronimo John found the NHTSA website and the "Customer Reply Card" I will reply as a courtesy to OTT. OTT will have hundreds that do not reply, for trailers sold, people thinking it's junk mail... The GOV will likely audit OTT later to see they have complied and their records of such responses. I plan to print the from, write "SELF" as the inspecting BUSINESS, attach the photo I took months ago when this subject came up on our forum, and mail it Attn: Regina OTT - task completed from my point of view.

@Imelda, yes @Geronimo John is certainly correct in running the microwave on a 2KW inverter. Our setup is similar to yours. I run our inverter day-and-night, for many needs. Use the microwave to reheat coffee in the morning, leftovers for lunch, etc. The TV is often running, laptop chargers, etc. Chris runs an electric tea kettle and a blow-dryer occasionally. Many of these are 1100-1500 watts each, so you can only run one at a time. We travel mainly in the sunny SW, so usually we're good on batteries. But if a cloudy day is in the forecast, I'll still run the microwave for 30 secs or more, but we will forgo the electric tea kettle for one on the LP stovetop. You could run two such appliances with a 3KW inverter at the same time. But the main reason to upgrade to a 3KW Inverter is to run your AC unit. Some cool in the afternoons when boondocking is what we truly want, eventually. But again, it comes down to available battery capacity. LI is not a straightforward battery swap, but not very difficult. There are charger settings to change and likely some new cabling. You'll want to add a shunt and perhaps a display or other options. GJ also mentioned Battleborn 100AH batteries. They run a little about $900 each, call it $3,000 +/- taxed and shipped, for three units totaling 300AH (I believe 4 will not fit). There are better options. Why replace relatively new batteries, ours are 450AH lead-acid, 225AH usable, for 300AH LiFePO4? Not a large enough bump for the money. I believe OTT uses Lithioncs brand in their Lithium Pro Package, which states 390AH. Though I could not find a 390AH Lithionics model shopping online. Many online sellers list their 320AH battery at a whopping $4,500, more like $5K OTD. Perhaps top-of-the-line but one of the most expensive LI batteries. There are better options out there today, unless $$$$ is not an issue. I learned of Epoch batteries last fall on this forum. They are priced to sell with good reports. In fact, this model is soooo HOT at $1,399 it is often out-of-stock: 12V 460Ah Heated & Bluetooth LiFePO4 Battery - Epoch Essentials (epochbatteries.com) That's 460AH which would double your capacity in one battery. Some do prefer redundancy if one fails, but I would take that risk. Mike @rideadeuce went with TWO 460AH Epoch batteries, amazing! A more expensive, but still competitively priced, model including "Victron Comms." I don't believe you need this feature as a Victron shunt would be enough for me. This model is $1,999 list and during last year Black Friday sale it was 15% off! I almost pulled the trigger. Maybe next year, LI prices have come down every year. He went this route to fit two batteries side-by-side for 920AH total. The first model I mentioned I believe fits in the battery tray (you know measure twice, ...) but you can only fit one in the bay since it is wider (one would be enough for most campers). The Victron Comms model is narrower, yet taller, so Mike removed the sliding battery tray to accommodate. A crazy amount of stored power for a small TT, a creative plan and sound installation. Check it out: Victron MP2 with (2) Epoch 460ah batteries. DAY #1 Removal, rewiring, mounts, routing wires - Ollie Modifications - Oliver Owner Forums (olivertraveltrailers.com) I suggest reading several more posts here, do other online research, give it a lot of thought, ask more questions and "patience grasshopper!" These batteries should last 10 years and if you add a 3KW inverter and perhaps other options (checkout the Victron product line) it becomes a large investment. You want to make the right choices, so that it works for your needs many years. Hope this helps! 🙂

Ya think! So this will my last sealant related comment here. Dave, thank you so much and I trust it on your recommendation. The label has all the right words. Re cost NP. What is it? About 30% of a shop-hour today for those who pay for repair work. Should saves us hours in labor. Do you think one can is enough to work the exterior of the Oliver, 4 windows, wheel flares, around the furnace, etc? Maybe I should get two anyway. Thanks again! 😂

Basically, your fridge is reporting your batteries are DEAD! Lead acid/AGM should never be much under 12V though I have been in the yellow a few times, never in the RED!

We have 30-gal tanks. Our Mopeka had some up/down variation, and I received a sensor position warning on/off. I just installed them and will look when we refill. Don't think the magnets stick well to the rounded bottom. You'd think their surface would be curved as well. I may use a little 3m VHB around the edges next time. Now that it's parked level, it reads 15%. That's after 2 1/2 weeks out, fridge on LP all but about 20-24 hours while towing (say 180 hours ON at 60% boondocking), furnace on some 3 nights (not too cold), fire ring on for 2-3 hours on for ~10 nights, outdoor grill maybe 5 nights and daily use of indoor grill for coffee breakfast and 3-4 dinners. If it was just the fridge running, duration on LP should be in terms of weeks, certainly not a few days. Yes, check for leaks.

I'm sorry! Though in rereading my post, I don't see that I made any technical comments, so not understanding how my personal likes/dislikes can be measured in terms of accuracy. Public forums are all about "IMHO." I just don't like the over-use of caulks of any kind. My hobbies have always been around restoration since the late 70s. Experiences with so many old cars, used trailers/RVs and old homes, etc. I do all my own M&R work, on auto, home and RV though will contract paint and detailing work, to which I have no strengths and experience. What I know, is I've spent/wasted way too much time removing sloppy caulk and paint. I have seen more bad jobs than good, and our Oliver windows (pic above) is just one example in a lifetime in the witness of shoddy work. Most DIYers admit they do not have the artistic hand to apply caulk nicely. Me too and many professional tradesmen are just careless. It may be inaccurate in the view of some, but I don't see purpose in caulking an RV window. If ours were to ever leak, to do it right (and caulking IMHO is not doing it right, merely applying a band-aid), I would remove the window and rigorously clean out all old caulk and butyl, and as a final step wiping rubbing alcohol on the contact surfaces for good adhesion. I would reapply butyl, just enough so that when fastening the screws evenly, it would squeeze out slightly around the perimeter. Scrape off the excess with a plastic blade and I'm done! Butyl seals fully, will last longer than our lifetimes (so it should never leak to begin with). I did this job on our Bigfoot, not that it was leaking rainwater to the interior, but to replace glass panels where the double-pane seals had failed within. Did not caulk when finished. It looked great would not leak a drop when pressure-washed from all angles! It's OK if you have a differing opinion. So I ask, but do not expect answers... Why are home windows caulked, when they sit nicely tucked under a 30" eave? And why does OTT caulk the wheel flares, when it does not matter if water passes through this seam to the wheel-wells? And why is the wet bath caulked where there is seamless fiberglass construction? The examples I see in our world are endless. I've asked the following Q, twice on this forum before and will give it just one more try before going it alone... What product can I source to remove silicone caulk, that can be applied to vertical surfaces? Perhaps it cannot be this easy, but if there was such a product that would cling overnight and penetrate or loosen the caulk it would be so helpful. I'd like to make our cleaning project a couple days verses a few weeks of hard labor. I also am concerned or damaging the fiberglass in applying the wrong product and I'm not concerned if there is silicone still in the pores of the fiberglass, as I will not re-apply caulk. I just want to get the dang stuff off! I ask @John Dorrer with your industry experience. I ask members who have commented here, like @ScubaRx, @SeaDawg and @DavePhelps with considerable RV and boating experiences and other OTT Forum members. I read so many suggestions on caulks and sealants. Don't y'all use something to remove the old, before applying the new? I thank you for your time and consideration.

@rideandfly I always use this app when upgrading wheels and tires. Play with it and it will answer all your tire/wheel size questions! Use the left frame to enter Original and New Setup specs and look to the graphic on the right to see diffs in the measurements, for diameter, width and offset (for wheel changes). Hope it helps! Wheel Offset Calculator (tiresize.com)

Another point to add is when you know you are pulling more current like using the DC fridge, keep your eye on the SOC of your batteries. Like many others here, I installed the Victron shunt so I can read SOC and +/- Amp draw from the Victron phone app. It was that morning when I woke at dawn and noticed 63% SOC even before getting out of bed. I thought "what the..." and then I noticed the DC light on the fridge. If I rolled over and back to sleep it would have been worse later.