Galileo

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.

…Including the egos…. (Chicagoan transplanted in Texas)

We’ve seen several in our travels. A couple in campgrounds we’ve stayed in, and two or three on the road. Apparently, there are enough folks on the Oliver Facebook group that if you call out a passing Ollie - you may get that owner replying. We’ve also encountered a couple of “Escape” fiberglass trailers along the way as well. It’s always fun chatting with another Ollie owner - or - one of those other fiberglass trailer owners.

Though I’m new to trailers and trailering, I’ve replaced wheel studs before. Though they may be pressed in at the factory - replacement ones can be “pulled” in using the lug nuts. I didn’t pull the brake drums when I had the wheels off. Duh. I should have, but it was hot and just jacking the damn thing up had me ready to be done. Next time. Next time I check the lug nuts for tightness, I’ll back them off and re-torque them to 100ft/lbs. The torque specs for our tow vehicle (2025 GMC Sierra 1500) is 140ft/lbs. so I’m giving my muscles and torque wrench a workout. Was the same for the previous TV…

I thought using the stabilizer jacks to lift the trailer - or even take much weight off the springs - was strongly advised against - if not outright “forbidden”. At least that’s what we were told at our delivery orientation. Along those lines, I’ve even noticed that even running the rear stabilizer jacks more than a split second after they start taking the weight of the trailer twists the frame enough to make the screen door bind in the frame.

After upgrading my grease gun to a “LockNLube Professional Series”, I discovered I couldn’t sneak the coupler behind the tires to get to some of the fittings, so I figured it was time to pull the wheels off to get to them. While I was at it, I intended to try the “unloading the suspension” to get some of the Zerk fitting unwilling to accept grease to submit. Then again, taking the wheels off without unloading the suspension would be more fun than I was up for. Anyway, a lot of realizations in what should have been a fairly straightforward operation: First off, getting a floor jack under the best lifting points on the axles isn’t very easy. That’s something an owner would have to do just to change a tire. What kind of jacks are people out there using? Related to the above, the marked lifting points on the frame require a jack that has pretty high lifting ability. So again, best kind of jack? (I currently have an AC “Racing Jack” - which is fine for most vehicle, easier than a hydraulic bottle jack, and a lot less effort than the mechanical jack that comes with your average TV.) I decided to rotate the tires - front to rear only - since I was gonna have them off. Seemed prudent. I had been naively been trusting the 120 foot-pound torque specs from the Oliver owners manual. I’d been re-torquing them periodically as advised by the manual. No issues until now. This was the first time I had a wheel off. So it’s the first time I’ve actually tightened a lug nut that wasn’t already tight. On the right side - aside from struggling to jack the beast up - everything went fine. However - on the left side - when trying to torque the lug nuts, I found that a couple of them didn’t seem to tighten. They didn’t feel stripped, just wouldn’t tighten. My wild guess is that the studs are pressed in, but don’t have splines to keep them from spinning - which would be unlike every other wheel stud I’ve replaced. (I had even snapped a couple off back in the old days when I tried to remove a lug nut on a ‘64 Dodge that had left hand threads on one side of the vehicle.) Once I searched here and found that 120ft/lbs is likely too high, I tried again at 100ft/lbs and I was able to torque them to that spec. (Kinda like that 80psi on the tires….) So does anyone know if the studs are not splined? Im sure I’ll have more questions as time goes by…

I know this is an old thread, but I needed to get information on lug nuts and wheel studs, and, thought I would offer John & Debbie an option I haven’t heard mentioned yet. Check with your friendly, local Snap-On tool dealer. They typically drive around in big truck full of cool (expensive) tools and make frequent stops at car dealerships and independent auto repair shops. They often have a torque wrench tester/calibration checker on their truck. I have Snap-On torque wrenches and had mine checked by my dealer last summer. They tested within tolerance. Mine are more like 40 years old - but have been treated pretty nicely. (Kept in cases, NOT dropped in concrete!) I imagine of you ask nicely, your local Snap-On guy will test your wrench regardless of who made it. They’d probably do it for the goodwill and hoping to snag a new customer. The real reason for my digging up this thread in in the next post.

As you point out - there is the entertainment value… Luckily, that bonehead managed to miss you. I typically just manage to get videos of idiots taking freeway exits from two lanes over, or blatantly blowing through red lights. OTOH - we did catch a bear loping across the interstate in Wyoming.

Yep - the challenge was finding a piece of material the right size and shape - made out of a material that the tape would stick to. Since I don’t have any kind of “shop” to work in, I’ve been roaming the aisles at the hardware store hoping to find something. So far, the only one I’ve found was too “greasy” to hold the tape. The quest continues…

I’d considered that - but with the Rove dashcam, the only surface on the camera would be the bezel around the lens. I’m not sure that’s enough contact area to assure it would stay in place. Especially since we tend to be in “hot” areas that cause even tough 3M “VHB” tape. That, and I’d have to create an open circle of tape to go around the lens. (in case I wasn’t being clear - I wanted to mount a cam to the rear window of the P/U facing to the rear, and one on the rear window if the Oliver. Being vertical, the mounts supplied with the camera don’t provide enough clearance to aim the camera level to the rear.)

We have a Rove R2-4K dashcam. Though by default, it plugs into a “cigarette lighter” outlet, our new TV doesn’t have one. Though the cable supplied with the unit will also plug into a USB-C receptacle - which our new TV has, I decided to buy the “hard wire” kit which lets you tap into your TV’s fuse block. I bought 2 additional units to add a rear-facing dashcam to the TV, and one for the rear window of the Ollie. A problem I have yet to solve is that the supplied mounts - both suction cup and adhesive mount - won’t work on a vertical window like the rear of a Pickup truck, or the Oliver. Has anybody found a way to mount a cam on a vertical glass?? I think I could just use a spacer of an inch or so, but curious if someone has already invented this wheel. (Apparently Rove hasn’t.) TIA, V

Hi all, Shopping for insurance (again) and trying to find out who the “best” companies are. We currently use GEICO for both TV and our Oliver. Maybe I’m just still living in the 80’s, but insurance has gotten rather pricey! I have to admit to not having read every jot and tittle of our policy - but you can be sure I will now! I hit a bit of a rude surprise when I found out “yacht” (Catalina 30 sailboat) needed a rudder and that our “cash value” policy through GEICO (Boat US) is paying for the replacement of the rudder - depreciated by its age. So they’re only going to pay 20% of the replacement cost of the rudder and other parts that are replaced. (Getting rid of the boat anyway - ready for that “other happiest day of a boat owner’s life”) Anyway, suggestions? Experiences? Geico has been great with our previous TV that got hit while parked when it was 6 months old. You never get it “all” back, but they didn’t squawk at the estimates, let us use our dealer, and paid instantly. I’m leery after the boat experience that they may not be as good should we ever file a claim for the trailer. That, and I think I owe it to myself to shop around since I’m thinking I’m paying too much. (And who isn’t?!)