Galileo

AI keeps telling us that the local SSA office CAN print out the report we need IF we can convince them to. But these days you need to make an appointment online and “I’ve tried mailing this and it keeps getting lost” isn’t a choice if the appointment system. AI also says if all else fails “Call your Congressman” yeah - if you haven’t had enough of inefficient bureaucracy yet.

We do the clean-up each time we break camp. (Though around the cat little box - every time we attend to it.) We have a carpet runner - that goes from the bathroom door to under the edge of the (king) bed and covers the width of the “linoleum”. I shake it out to get rid of the loose dirt, and we wash it about once a month or so. Our biggest issue is cat hair - which seems to be magnetically attracted to the upholstery. It’s not a big issue for the furnace return register as we rarely use it. We go through the sticky “lint rollers” at a pretty good rate. We did inherit one of those large outdoor rugs/mats that we use if we’re going to be in one place for more than a few days. Out West, we found it likes to blow away. We found it two or three camp sites downwind once.

Hi folks, Totally non-Oliver and not even travel or trailer related - but wanted to ask if anybody had any tips for getting the Social Security Administration to actually do their job. About two years ago Debra contacted a former employer’s pension administrator to claim the pension she had coming for 20 years service. They told her they had no record of her even working there, and would need to obtain a detailed report from SSI to prove she worked there. OK - a bit wired, but not the first time we’ve had something odd happen. (My theory: Debra’s last name starts with two “A”s, so my data processing background tells me that first record in a database often gets pulled in as a column label and lost.) Anyway - download, print, fill out the form from SSI online, send it in with the required fee, and wait - up to 120 days. 120 days - and then some - come and go and no report in the mailbox. Several calls and holding for hours online and the final answer is “we can find your request and we’ll have someone look into it and get back to you.” (Guess what happened…) Several more weeks/months later we have to contact them again - still no record of the request - they DO show the payments received though. Fast-forward to a year later after several more phone calls. They send a packet out that says they couldn’t complete the request because they couldn’t find the signed form - so she has to start all over- but - they do send a voucher of sorts showing payment. So - she re- mikes the whole thing with the voucher and a new, signed request form - and we wait. No reply 150 days later. So the phone calls begin. Again. Last week - the person on the phone says “We have no record of your request… we’ll escalate this to a priority level” (which they did twice with the first one.) So - here we are with a pension we can get because SSI can’t fulfill a fairly routine report of the records the pension custodian needs to do their job. Debra wasn’t even going to pursue it, but I worked for the same company and am receiving a pension. (Different last name.) so I KNOW there’s $$$ on the table. Any suggestions besides tearing hair out?!

Is THAT what the Oliver looks like without the front storage basket?! I barely recognize it…

I figured if I got totally locked out - even though we kept a set of trailer keys in the truck - I can just slide a side window open from outside and climb in cat-burglar style. The 2025 Sierra has the keyless entry (fob in pocket or purse) which is reliable (so far) and you can also unlock it with your smartphone. (Which is usually reliable - u less there’s no cell service…) So I’ve kinda gotten used up not using it needing a key. As I mentioned before - I know there are a lot of keyless locks around, though most likely not suitable for RVs. I’m sure there’s some other ones out there that are simpler and less prone to failure. As I also mentioned - using our trailer for several months at a time for five years now, I’m not going to gripe too much about things that quit working. I’ve had to replace the smoke alarm twice, the CO/propane detector, swap out the tire valve stem cores, stop the Truma water heater from sending fireballs out the side of the trailer, replace the television, yank out the awning seal, replace the Nor-cold freezer hinges twice, the Furrion Stereo, one touch-light and another one failing, replace the black tank valve, patch up a leaky window frame, tear the MaxxFan down to replace the motor, oh - and the dang Dometic A/C still sounds like a 747 with full takeoff power. (see there? You got me started….)

Probably a logical conclusion. The lock was part of the “Electronics Pro Package” that OTT offered as part of the initial trailer ordering. Pretty sure it was bundled with the rear camera, Auto drain, and the cell booster as well. I never use the rear camera (remote view screen too clunky) and I’m not convinced that the cell booster does much - if anything - to increase your cell signal. The keyless lock is the only part of that package that I found any value in. (OK - the auto drain - I forgot that was part of the package. Thought you be fair, “auto” is a bit of a misnomer as you have to actuate it manually.) We use our trailer - and the door lock - A LOT. So I’m not sure that failing after two years is really terrible MTBF for something that may have been designed for being used for a couple of weeks a year. Then again, I’ve seen a lot of residential and commercial keyless locks that seem to last forever. Whether any of them is suited for use on an RV door is up for grabs. RVLock is sending me the parts “free” - no shipping charges this time. I did have to take a video, edit it down to be a small enough file to attach to an email, and took four tries to get it to send. (Yahoo never did work, had to use GMail).

We’ve had good luck with RVLock support - as they are responsive and quick to send out parts under warranty. I forget the exact failure mode, but our original OTT installed RCLock quit working. After chatting g with them on the phone they mailed out a replacement circuit board for the cost of shipping. (I’d whine about having to pay shipping - but I’ll get over it.) In the meantime, I had purchased a whole new unit from Amazon. This one talks yo you and had a lock/unlock sound that doesn’t wake the neighbors. I replaced the circuit board in the original lock and kept it as a spare. Last season, the “new” lock stopped unlocking reliably - only withdrawing the deadbolt about halfway and requiring a second attempt to get in to the trailer. So, the “spare” gets re-installed. Several more emails and sending them a video of the lick not working and they say they’re sending me something. Not sure what yet. I still don’t care for the battery situation. Trying to install 2 rows of 2 AA batteries stacked vertically and getting the battery cover on takes dexterity and fast hands.

We’ve got half as many years and maybe a third of the miles, so I’d expect you have more wear and tear. I do all my own cleaning and polishing - so I’m intimately familiar with the whole front end of the trailer. The upper half gets WAY more abuse from bugs - especially in the Southern states. I’ve only spotted one tiny nick of any significance and it doesn’t even penetrate the gelcoat. I’d guess our “paved roads” mission combined with our low-slung tow vehicles (and not doing burn-outs on gravel) keep the nicks to a minimum. Just from a drivability standpoint, I avoid the jacked-up, high ground clearance vehicles like the AT-4 (or is it ATX?) trim level on our GMC Sierra. Just keeping the truck body close to the ground keeps the amount, trajectory, and velocity of road debris mitigated adequately. I like a vehicle that my wife can enter and exit without a rope ladder - and also at least a bit of ability to see objects close to me when maneuvering in tight parking lots.

On our LE2 that DC breaker is under the forward, port side of the king bed - just aft of the pantry/battery compartment. (Inside the trailer) I manually “trip” that breaker when we store our Ollie to kill all the DC power drains so that a small battery maintainer can keep the batteries topped up. It takes only a very light touch on that red button to open the circuit. (Pop that “swing arm” that has been mentioned.) Rather than a LARGE electrical load opening that breaker, I’d bet an accidental touch with the back of your hand or a battery charger cable or whatever manually tripped the breaker. Just my SWAG based on my experience with that style breaker.

I purchased a “Rock Tamer” mudflap setup to use on our two vehicles, assembled it part way and essentially abandoned the project because of not having the right tools handy to trim the mudflap height/length and “drill” the holes through the gummy “rubber” material. After towing the Ollie for a season, I checked and found so little evidence - much less “damage” to the lower front area of the trailer that I decided that the added weight and fooling with the RockTamer (that fits over the ball carrier shaft) really isn’t necessary. If anything, weathering of the gel coat and nicks from rocks kicked up by -other- vehicles that strike the sides of the trailer are at least as big of a concern as gravel thrown up by our tires. We primarily travel paved roads, and find the few times that we’re on gravel that the roads are SO rough that slowing to walking speed is required to keep dental work and trailer contents where we last stowed them. That said - if anybody is looking for a Rock Tamer setup - I’ll make you a helluva deal on the one I have in storage. It’s in Hammond, LA, but I could arrange to have it in Winnsboro, TX this winter/Spring. https://a.co/d/01fojEhk

(And my wife says -I- spend too much money on stuff from Amazon…) 😂

We’ve been using this one for several years - either set on top of the (closed) propane cooktop in the Ollie, or on a picnic table or small accessory (Lifetime) table: https://a.co/d/0aWqQ1by Though - the one you have looks a little sleeker. I stash this one on the second drawer on the left under the sink. We keep rolls of toil or cling wrap around it to keep it from shifting.

You don’t really have a robotic floor cleaner in your trailer?!

I guess they located the receptacle there for the earlier units. I think it makes more sense. That way the power cord doesn’t have to pass through and walls and all the wiring is in one spot. WHY they changed that is an interesting question. Perhaps someone was worried about moisture or corrosion?

Well - so far - the window leak appears to have been fixed. Been raining here for a couple of hours - not heavy - but it didn’t have to be to leak. I can see a trace of water through the holes in the plastic track - which is what I had seen previously - but none is leaking down the wall. That said - I’ll have to keep an eye on this as if I should open the window fully and it hits the stop - it may break that seal. I suppose that this winter I’ll have to put a slightly longer, thicker screw in to get a better grip as I think that only the first few threads of the existing one engage the metal of the frame.