Galileo

Unless you can engineer and build your water system with large-bore plumbing end-to-end, the 1/2” ID hose isn’t going to affect your water flow much - if at all. The typical “hose Bibb” all of us hook up to a campgrounds are usually of the style shown in the attached picture - with an internal restriction of about 1/3” - so using a half inch diameter hose isn’t gonna slow down you water flow. If you look at your household plumbing, you almost certainly have 1/4” supply lines to your sinks and toilets. It doesn’t matter if your PEX, PVC, Copper, or galvanized iron piping is 3/8”, 1/2”, or even 3/4” - it all goes through those 1/4” supply lines before it hits the faucet. Most aerators and shower heads have far smaller offices - like 1/8”. Back when we had the farm, I replaced all the hose bibs with 3/4” ball valves and GHT adapters. I wanted my irrigation systems to have maximum flow. For that matter, I also liked to be able to fill a 5 gallon bucket (which small farms are built around) in under a minute. In that case, a 1/2” hose would be the choke point. With RVs, we don’t wanna have a lot of flow. Our holding tanks are the limiting factor. Unless you’ve reworked your water system, I’m pretty sure the piping in the Oliver is all 1/2” PEX. So there’s your restriction. I suppose inquiring minds who just gotta know for themselves, try an experiment by timing how long it takes to fill a bucket with a 1/2” vs a 3/4” hose. Unless you’re attached to a spigot with a ball valve (and no choke points upstream) I’ll bet your fill times will be virtually the same regardless of your hose. The case FOR the 1/2” hose is that 50 feet of 1/2 hose is smaller and lighter than 50 feet of 3/4” hose. In the world of having to tote stuff with you - that’s a bigger deal than flow rate.

Yes, I switched to the Zero-G (was on a prominent display at Camping World) after I got tired of the Camco white hoses. I’ve found those can’t take being hooked up to even regulated (30-35psi) water for extended periods. They swell and don’t inspire much confidence. They also kink pretty easily. I’ve never seen a grey Zero-G hose. I was just attracted to the light weight, smaller coiled size, and - so far - no leaks. Front basket? While you drive? I’ve never left anything in there while moving except between the registration booth and our camp site, and then the dump station. My cords and hoses get tucked in the “basement”. I’m eyeing the SeaBiscuit cover, but hesitating due to the $$$. Dunno what they bill the difference between the blue and the grey as being. Perhaps I got a later one that doesn’t have the issues you experienced. ’Course, now I’ve jinxed myself and I suppose the damn thing will explode on me tomorrow…

I just snapped up a male GHT “repair” hose end with a bard, and a 3’ piece of heavy vinyl tubing to fit from the local hardware store. Though I generally only need to use it for winterizing, I did have to press it into service to boondock 10 gallons into the tank at a campground with electric only hookup.

Been using the blue Zero-G hose for two years and 4 long trips. No issues other than I don’t care for the fitting metal. I don’t imagine that hose will be very forgiving of manhandling the hose near the fitting, but I don’t, so it’s fine.

I was surprised to find how much a smooth bs bunny road can effect MPG. Interstates are generally pretty smooth, but I49 in Louisiana between Shreveport and Lafayette is pretty bouncy. That, and 75 is considered “pokey” on that stretch. More obviously, hilly stretches can knock a couple of mpg off as well. Strong head or crosswinds also take a toll. Not sure I get the point about 62-65 being much easier on the suspension than 70.

I think I’ve only engaged the 4wd on the previous TV once with the Ollie attached - when I fumbled into the wrong park road and had to turn around and go uphill in sand. No problem, just kept speed up. Used 4wd -once- in snow in Chicago. I try to avoid that since I enjoyed that kind of fun for 60 years before I moved to Texas. That, and I try to keep road salt off my nice vehicles. Haven’t kicked the 4wd on our new TV yet. I did want 2wd for lower drag/better mpg, and fewer parts to wear out. But I got 4wd on first TV because that’s what the immediately post COVID marketplace had available. Got it the second time for better resale value.

Probably why we have that phrase “Your Mileage May Vary.” We travel pretty much all the time and have rented cars in several European and British Isles countries. Unlike the US, they’re always small - and always incredibly fuel-efficient. 50 or 60 mpg is pretty standard. Then again, most Americans wouldn’t be caught dead in a 3 cylinder, 2.2 liter engine vehicle. Dunno why a Prius - even with 4 pro footballers would only show 12 mpg. Keep in mind that “average” mpg is the goal, not the mileage displayed during some short-trip, 100F day with the A/C cranked to 58F. My Prius would often show “99 mpg” on my 8-1/2 mile rural trip from my farm to the local hardware store. It was cool for bragging rights, but I realized it was the perfect storm of a fully-charged battery and hardly running the ICE at all that made that display possible. I’m sure it made up for it at other times. HOW one drives is - and will remain - a factor in what mileage you get - regardless of the technology or fuel source of your vehicle. Hard acceleration, high speeds, high accessory loads, “tankering”, and failing to coast when it’s advantageous will earn you poor fuel efficiency. I drive with the fuel efficiency display primary on my TV and did the same with the Prius and any time I drive a vehicle that has the tech. I do my best to keep the instantaneous MPG number high, or the display on the “economy” range. Pretty much the opposite of a Paris cabbie. I always have to smile at the type-A guy who has to pass me up at extra-legal speeds, only to have to brake hard and end up with me smirking at him when we stop at the next light together. Hey - if he wants to get 12 mpg while I’m getting 28 - that’s his prerogative. I’m still looking for the most efficient speed to drive the TV/Ollie combo. It looks to be about 62 mph. Of course, smooth, level, dry pavement gives a huge advantage. If the speed limit is 70 or even 75 - I’m still puttering along at 62. Maybe 65 if I feel like it or going downhill. I just have to pad the ETA my GPS gives me. I’m at a place in life where I don’t “need” to sweat burning an extra gallon of dead dinosaur juice - or feel obligated to find the cheapest gallon of motion lotion - but I do it anyway because it’s a feeling of accomplishment that gives me pleasure. I picked the diesel drivetrains for my last two vehicles because they are head and shoulders more efficient than the gas engine offerings in the same models. Yeah, I paid more for the engines - but I got back more in trade because they had more life left in them as well as the same fuel efficiency offerings. Likewise, I picked a 1500 Sierra because it will capably handle a gross weight Ollie - both speeding up and slowing down. The exhaust braking of the diesel even gives me a little more capability going down long grades than a gasser can provide. Previous TV was a “mid range” GMC Canyon - also diesel (2.8l) that had the specs that said it could handle the Ollie as well. Three years and half a dozen 90 day trips backed up what the specs promised - including several crossing of the continental divide - up to about 9,000 feet if I recall. (Turbos are nice!) If anything, I prefer the Canyon over the Sierra. Though I’ve been driving for darn near 50 years - 20 years of that full sized van and pickups - I find the Sierra too damn high. Even the lowest-slung standard suspensions make for a nipple-high hood that’s impossible to see obstructions over. Even though the footprint is only slightly bigger than the Canyon, the height makes it a chore to park and makes driving through narrow areas an “exciting” experience. Anyway, you pays your money and you makes your choice. I like the “less is more” approach. Those who prefer “bigger is matter” can do as they like. Unless I’m gonna start hauling intermodal containers, I don’t need the Souper Doody TV.

Just did an update about a week ago…. Unlike the previous update, I have no idea if this one adds any new features (bugs?). The last one let me roll down my windows with the fob. Probably bite me is the A$$ by doing that when the cat sits on the remote in the middle of the night during a typhoon… Anyway, the “going nuts” likes to pop up every so often on ours as well. Two days ago, when leaving a campground and doing a couple of short start/stop/restarts, the DIC (apt acronym for the Driver Information Center) just refused to come up at all. Zero. No gauges, Speedo, tach, nada. Luckily, it revived on a subsequent restart and has been normal ever since. The old “joke” about a vehicle with a Windows OS is WAY too close to bringing true. (Your car dies on the highway, you coast to the shoulder, get out, open and close all the doors, and it restarts - and be on your way.) I just hope the flakey stuff stays limited to superficial and non-critical systems…..

I’m surprised that it didn’t show an increase… My Prius would definitely show significant increases in SOC even with relatively short regeneration runs. I would guess it’s because the size of the battery is a lot smaller than a full EV battery. Probably like a gallon jug will be noticeably fuller if you add a quart to it - but a 55 gallon drum won’t look much different with a quart more in it. I rented a Fiat hybrid in Sicily a couple of years back. (I think Fiat just did that to qualify for a subsidy or to prove they could do a hybrid.) The battery in that toy car was so small that you could discharge and regen charge it back to “full” in a city block or two. Still, the hybrid powertrain has a ton of advantages that pure ICE can’t enjoy: The ability to use regeneration to “put gas back in the tank”, use regen to control your speed going downhill, reduce or eliminate brake fade, and brake pads that last 100,000 miles. I guess the proof of the pudding will be the mileage estimates the Ramcharger EREV turns in. I’ve gotta believe it will top those of V8 and even V6 ICE 1500 trucks, and likely even better than my 3.0 diesel 1500. I think the design is gonna hit a sweet spot that a full hybrid like a Prius misses: the ability to drive short trips without starting the ICE - since it will have a considerable bigger battery.

Sounds like there are several good options - and - the failure of existing lights provides the opportunity to upgrade. Life is good(?)

We have the “Google” version of the Infotainment system. Whether that’s good or bad I can’t say. I’d -prefer- to have my vehicle system be as independent of my phone as possible. It would be great if there were great apps available to install on the GM infotainment system. There used to be better ones: Weather Channel, Audiobooks, etc. Now, there’s only some dodgy, no-name apps available. I’m looking at RAM for my next TV as they are coming out with the 2026 Ramcharger 1500 Hybrid. I guess I’ll check out their tech…

Same here. Will be interesting to see how the system runs the ICE. I’m wondering if a V6 is really more engine than needed. I would think an L4 would be enough. Maybe even a diesel…

See my longer post - you WON’T need a new hole for the switch! BTW - I don’t really like the light switch in the bathroom. I find it pops loose out of the hole easily.

We had an issue with the touch light over the sink. It started acting intermittent last season, and then pretty much stopped working. Then for some reason, it “sorta” worked, sometimes coming on when touched, other times not. Oddly, when it was “off”, it stayed on dimly all the time. It got to the point I’d have to shut off the lighting master. I just didn’t want a light kinda working, and perhaps doing something bad - like starting a fire. I ordered these lights from Amazon - thinking they were touch lights just as were already installed. https://a.co/d/cg5xSAf When I finally got around to doing the replacement a couple of weeks ago, I found they are NOT touch lights, having a physical switch in the same location in the center of the light as the factory installed lights do. They look pretty much the same, and the mounting holes are close enough that no new holes need to be drilled. You’ll need to drill out the three pop rivets holding the old light in place, and get a light duty pop rivet gun and the smallest rivers (1/16” I think) to install the new light. You’ll also have to pull out the rubbed rubber mat and thin plastic floor plate in the cabinet to access the wires. I used crimp-on butt splices to make the new connection. Though I intended to replace the defective light with another touch light, I think I’m happier with a real switch as it more likely cuts the power off completely when off - where a touch light has to always be energized to sense your touch. PS - I probably could have used the included sheet metal screws - or a bit longer ones - instead of pop rivets, as I don’t really like them that much.

I stopped at a RAM dealer last week to get the latest on the truck. What’s posted above is everything the dealer knew. “Probably available 1Q26” was about all they could add. I’m liking the looks of the 2026 Ramcharger 1500 “extended range EV” (series hybrid) I’d be a bit shy about ordering one now and getting in on the bleeding edge of technology with one of the first ones off the line - but I’m already thinking it will be our next TV. Will the range be less when towing? Of course - just as my 700 mile range TV would be pushing it to get 400 miles when I hook up the Oliver. I don’t really care to drive even 300 miles in a day if possible. I’m used to refueling before hooking il the trailer again, so again - no loss of utility there. I know the “if a little is good, a lot is better” mentality is too deeply entrenched to ever be put to bed, but I’ve done pretty well with the “minimalist” approach to tow vehicles. So since the specs on this vehicle are considerably higher than my current or past truck - I think it will do just fine. The regenerative braking will put it hard and shoulders above except perhaps a big diesel with exhaust braking. The small diesels in our current and previous TVs (2.8 and 3.0 liter) have more than enough guts to pull the Ollie up and over the continental divide multiple times - and the get phenomenal mileage with and without the trailer. I don’t need 0-60 in 4.4 seconds (nor would anything in the trailer be where you left it!) but that power means this thing has serious chops both going and stopping. Before the Oliver, my driver was a 2017 Prius. I thought the way they worked the hybrid was overly complicated - but I was pleasantly surprised to find the transmission was actually quite simple. Much less complicated than a typical ICE transmission. Still, I like the series hybrid even more.