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Indispensable Tools?


Spike

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My wife and I are complete newbies to the Oliver but also, more importantly, to RVing in general. We will be traveling from Arizona to pick up our Ollie Elite II in early June of this year.

 

Here are most of the upgrades to our Oliver that are perhaps relevant to the question I want to ask: 320 watt solar, Large-Xantrex Power inverter, AGM Trojan 6v batteries, composting toilet, phone amplifier, Omni HD antenna, Dexter EZ Flex, WiFi Ranger, phone amplifier, rear view camera, 30 lb propane tanks.

 

After picking up our Ollie, we will take our time getting back to Arizona, doing some unpaved-road boondocking, so I know that we need to bring with us some essential stuff, including tools. I plan on bringing a basic tool box containing things like hammer, screw drivers, ratchet set, wrenches, etc. I also plan to bring an ax and small shovel.

 

My question is this: What tools have you found indispensable when traveling with your Ollie? 

 

Any advice will be appreciated, including advice about non-tool items that we may not have considered hauling with us when we pick up Ollie. Thanks!

Onward through the Fog!


EarthPicks of Cochise County


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Bump!

 

Any advice about specific less-common tools (wrenches >3/4" for example?) that are really useful for on-the-road kind of maintainence or repairs? I have plenty of tools but I want to build a streamlined toolbox that will live in the Ollie.

2018 OLEII #344   |   2018 Ford Expedition

 

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Spike & Rumline -

 

Use the "Search Box" and type in "tools" or "tool Box".  You will find lengthy discussions there that go from using the cell phone to carrying every single thing from the hardware store.  Unfortunately, a lot of what any single person might include in the tool box will depend on where they are going and the ability to use it.

 

Good luck!

 

Bill

2023 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5EB FX4 Max Towing, Max Payload, 2016 Oliver Elite II - Hull #117 "Twist"

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I'm probably guilty of carrying too many tools, so my list would be pretty long.  But some of the trailer specific non-obvious ones that I can think of off the top of my head would be a rubber mallet for setting and removing wheel chocks, a dedicated wrench for tightening hoses (for convenience), and a multimeter to track down any electrical gremlins.

 

One thing I don't carry but need to put together is a pex repair kit.

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Overland -

 

With regards to the pex repair kit - there was a discussion on the Forum about "shark-bite" fittings.  These things are fairly expensive and some people do not believe in them.  However, for emergency repairs, a couple of them and a couple of lengths of pex are fairly easy to store and limit the number of tools that would be required for the repair.  I've included two 90 degree and four straight fittings plus two lengths of pex that are each three feet long.

 

If anyone is interested, I will bring some pex to the Rally and give "repair" lengths to anyone interested.

 

Bill

2023 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5EB FX4 Max Towing, Max Payload, 2016 Oliver Elite II - Hull #117 "Twist"

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Use the “Search Box” and type in “tools” or “tool Box”. You will find lengthy discussions there that go from using the cell phone to carrying every single thing from the hardware store.

Hi Bill, I did do a search last night and was not able to find anything like what you describe.  I don't want to clutter the forum with redundant threads.  I just searched again now and at the bottom of the results I found this thread with a few replies: http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/tool-box/  Ironically that thread also contains a post where you refer the other OP to use the search function.  If there's a specific thread you can remember (and find) can you please link me to it?

 

I'm not sure that this new search function is much better than the old one.  At least it doesn't display the entire post every time it finds a match, but the results do not seem to be sorted by relevance.

2018 OLEII #344   |   2018 Ford Expedition

 

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OK, you found at least one of the one's I remember, but I know that there was one where ScubaRx talked about his "kitchen sink" approach.  I'll try to find it.

 

Bill

2023 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5EB FX4 Max Towing, Max Payload, 2016 Oliver Elite II - Hull #117 "Twist"

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Yes, the search functions on this forum are severely lacking, something I have posted about on several occasions...

 

I know that there was one where ScubaRx talked about his “kitchen sink” approach.

I think this is the thread that Bill was referring to: http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/oliver-tool-kit/

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David Stillman, Salt Lake City, Utah

2016 Oliver Elite II  Hull 164    |    2017 Audi Q7 tow vehicle. 

Travel and Photography Blog: http://davidstravels.net

 

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I carry two bearing/seal sets (enough for two wheels). I also carry the tools to install them. That would be a steel drift, a brass drift about 1/2 dia. x 6 to 8 inches long, and a steel plate 6 x 6 by about one inch thick to support the hub when driving the bearings/seal in or out. I hope to never have to use these while on the road! I also carry a small electrical parts kit with crimp on terminals etc., a handful of each size fuse that is used, and a couple spools of 16 ga. wire.

2017 Elite II, Hull #208

2019 Chevy HD 2500 Duramax

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Mountainoliver -

 

Wow!  I'm impressed.

 

I too carry a couple of sets of wheel bearings and seals.  However, I do not carry all those tools with me in order to do the install.  In virtually any small town (let alone the big ones) there is a garage that can do the job.  Hopefully it is not necessary and hopefully I will not be out in the middle of no where when (if) a bearing and/or seal goes bad.  I guess that we all have our limits on what kind of risk we are willing to take.  The bearings and seals on the Olivers are fairly common, but, I have been in the position before where a fairly common set of bearings was "out of stock".  So, I feel a bit safer carrying my own - just in case.

 

Bill

2023 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5EB FX4 Max Towing, Max Payload, 2016 Oliver Elite II - Hull #117 "Twist"

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Bill I agree with you on the bearings.  In my boating days I had a trailer bearing go out on me ~40 minutes from the nearest town.  Fortunately there were a few shops in that town, but none had the right parts.  Finally found what I needed at a Napa another hour down the road.  What a miserable experience!  Overall it took 6 hours to get back on the road again. After that I always carried spares with me.

 

I would love to be able to change them out myself but it's just one bridge too far for me to go.  Props to you, Mountainoliver!  :beer:

2018 OLEII #344   |   2018 Ford Expedition

 

AZCACOGAKSMONMTNWYsm.jpg

 

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I won't go into all the small stuff, but you definitely need a cheap compact ladder, preferably one that telescopes and will fit in the closet. You need to be able to get to the roof in case of a repair or stuck tree branch. If you are a heavy fellow, buy a good quality one for safety.

 

Rock protection for the truck, since you will be going off pavement. Mudflaps at the very least. Gravel roads will trash the finish on your Ollie very quickly unless you drive dead slow ALL the time. If you have to drive 30 miles out of the national forest, driving at under 10 mph is just not practical ;(

 

Spares for the composting toilet - peat, cleaning spray, extra fuses. Check yours since they seem to always install a too-small one. It needs to be 2.5 or 3 amp, not 1 amp, which will blow. Read my thread on the Natures Head if you have not already.

 

You already talked about shovel, you need a little extra stuff for recovery if you get the trailer stuck. For example. consider ahead of time how you would go about pulling the trailer out of a deep rut. "Trailer offroad recovery" would be a good subject for a new thread since I can't recall anyone talking about it. Who wants to start?

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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A grease gun, yup, the big one. And a tube of the proper grease (or two). The Easy Flex axle and 8 fittings per side are recommended to be greased every 3000 miles. The first time I did it, it took a full 14oz tube, plus a little more. The whole thing fits in a couple of plastic grocery bags, which then fits in a cloth bag like they give you at trade shows to carry your brochures in...

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I can foresee that not having a pick-up truck bed will eventually result in a storage space crunch. So to delay that time, I am trying to be very efficient in what and how much stuff I will load Ollie with.  I know that I must have a grease gun and the special red grease that the EZ flex requires.  Your very helpful post congers up a couple of thoughts:

 

A.  Your  post said:  "The first time I did it, it took a full 14 oz tube, plus a little more." is important.  For the above reasons my preference is to use a small grease gun with the 3 OZ Red Grease tubes.  If I have to load up 5 tubes or more of it for the first time, that's probably not real good.  So, I have to ask the question:  Why would OTT not do the initial grease load up on the EZ Flex while the trailer is at the factory?

 

B.  After your initial "cavity fill" of grease, how much grease do you now use per service?  (Reason is to get a feeling if I can still use my smaller grease gun  after my initial cavity fill.)

 

Thank you for your post.  You are the first I have seen to indicate how much grease we will actually need.  Since my initial Ollie voyage will be at least 8,000 trailer miles, grease is on my mind.

 

Geronimo John

 

 

TV:  2019 F-150 SuperCrew Lariat, 3.5L EcoBoost, Max Tow, FX-4, Rear Locker      OLLIE:  2018 OE2 Hull 342, Twin Bed.    OLLIE DYI’s:  BB LiFePO4's, Victron 712 Smart, 350 Amp Master Switch, Houghton 3400, Victron Orion DC - DC, 3000-Watt Renogy Inverter, P.D. 60-amp Converter, Frig Dual Exhaust Fans, Kitchen Drawer Straps.    TV DYI’s:  2 5/16" Anderson System, Timken Bearings, Nitto recon’s, Firestone Rear Air Bags, Bilstein 5100’s, Mud Flaps & Weather Tech all.

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I want to agree with Bill on the bearings – carry the parts but let someone else do the work. Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems like if you have one go, then you’d likely still be able to get to the nearest town without destroying anything.

 

Yes and no..... If you have a TPMS system, the hot hub will show up on your display and a warning will sound, and it may give you some time to get to a shop. If you don't have any way of monitoring the hub, then the first sign something is wrong might be be nasty noises and smoke coming out of the hub.

 

I have had several bearing failures over 40 years, luckily all but one I caught in time. The one I missed was on a little motorcycle trailer with 8 inch wheels. It did not like cruising at 75 mph for three days straight and one bearing set disintegrated catastrophically.

 

Everyone really should have a TPMS, it just makes sense for peace of mind and safety.

 

It's also smart to physically check all the bearings routinely, say every thousand miles, by raising the tires off the ground and moving the wheels by hand. Rotate and listen for "dry bearing" rumbles, and shake the top of the tire inwards and outwards to watch for play.

 

This latter check can be done in five seconds per tire when stopped with the tires on the ground and the trailer brakes off (a normal parked scenario). Put your foot on top of the tire sidewall and push violently inward as hard as you can, repeatedly, using all your weight. If there is play in the bearings you will see the hub move and it will make clunking noises.

 

That second method only detects bearings that are REALLY loose, moving them by hand is a far better way to do it, I have caught bad bearings on rental trailers by kicking with my foot. It really does work.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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OK. I appreciate the discussion bearing on bearings. I am nearly convinced that I need to carry a set of bearing parts for emergencies. Can someone suggest the best way to obtain the correct bearing stuff needed for my Ollie? I usually order from Amazon or Trailer. Can someone provide a link to the needed products? Thanks.

Onward through the Fog!


EarthPicks of Cochise County


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Spike -

 

Try this

 

http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/packing-wheel-bearings-diy/page/4/

 

Of course this assumes that you are getting an Elite II (don't know if the Elite I has the same or not).  You might want to read most of that entire topic - there is some really good info there.

 

For what its worth - I remembered that this topic had referred to "Red Neck Trailers" and that is what I had to put in the Search function in order to find this series of posts.

 

Bill

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2023 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5EB FX4 Max Towing, Max Payload, 2016 Oliver Elite II - Hull #117 "Twist"

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Spike, you can ask for an extra bearing set to be colleced at delivery, it will cost less than getting it from Amazon. Just remember to look for it with the suppled spares, and make sure it is there.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

  • Thanks 1

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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I can foresee that not having a pick-up truck bed will eventually result in a storage space crunch. So to delay that time, I am trying to be very efficient in what and how much stuff I will load Ollie with. I know that I must have a grease gun and the special red grease that the EZ flex requires. Your very helpful post congers up a couple of thoughts:

 

A. Your post said: “The first time I did it, it took a full 14 oz tube, plus a little more.” is important. For the above reasons my preference is to use a small grease gun with the 3 OZ Red Grease tubes. If I have to load up 5 tubes or more of it for the first time, that’s probably not real good. So, I have to ask the question: Why would OTT not do the initial grease load up on the EZ Flex while the trailer is at the factory?

 

B. After your initial “cavity fill” of grease, how much grease do you now use per service? (Reason is to get a feeling if I can still use my smaller grease gun after my initial cavity fill.)

 

Thank you for your post. You are the first I have seen to indicate how much grease we will actually need. Since my initial Ollie voyage will be at least 8,000 trailer miles, grease is on my mind.

 

Geronimo John

 

 

 

I can foresee that not having a pick-up truck bed will eventually result in a storage space crunch. So to delay that time, I am trying to be very efficient in what and how much stuff I will load Ollie with. I know that I must have a grease gun and the special red grease that the EZ flex requires. Your very helpful post congers up a couple of thoughts:

 

A. Your post said: “The first time I did it, it took a full 14 oz tube, plus a little more.” is important. For the above reasons my preference is to use a small grease gun with the 3 OZ Red Grease tubes. If I have to load up 5 tubes or more of it for the first time, that’s probably not real good. So, I have to ask the question: Why would OTT not do the initial grease load up on the EZ Flex while the trailer is at the factory?

 

B. After your initial “cavity fill” of grease, how much grease do you now use per service? (Reason is to get a feeling if I can still use my smaller grease gun after my initial cavity fill.)

 

Thank you for your post. You are the first I have seen to indicate how much grease we will actually need. Since my initial Ollie voyage will be at least 8,000 trailer miles, grease is on my mind.

 

Geronimo John

 

 

 

 

I should have greased the Easy Flex when I hooked up the first of March, but there was a Noreaster heading my way. There also was two feet of cold wet snow all around me. The prevailing thoughts were that I am getting too old to be crawling around in a snowbank trying to add cold grease, I'll wait until I can see swaying palm trees. I think the bigger gun, with the longer handle, gives one more leverage to pump the grease. And also changing the tube while under the unit is just another annoying task one has to do. What to do with the old tube, how to keep dirt off the new tube, I'll stick with the big unit. It doesn't take up that much room, and will fit in the basement. While under there I looked at everything, and there certainly was evidence that the OTT factory had greased everything before delivery. I had downloaded the installation sheet for the EZ Flex while doing the research on the trailer and it does not mention "red grease", just a lithium complex grease NLGI #2.

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I asked for two bearing kits at trailer pick up. They were only $11.00 each. I also requested that the ez flex be greased before pick up. The red grease I selected was based on what Dexter recommended for the bearings and what my truck manufacturer recommended for the universal joints. The ez flex is not that picky about what grease is used so I wanted to carry only one type that would be proper for both the truck U joints and the trailer wheel bearings and yet be readily available at automotive parts stores. I ended up with Valvoline No.W615 in 14.1 oz tubes.

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2017 Elite II, Hull #208

2019 Chevy HD 2500 Duramax

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