HOW TO: Remove/ Modify the Cover over the Waste Storage Bay

[John E Davies]

The diamond plate cover over the Stinky Hose bay looks as if it would come off easily, but there are problems. This cover has be removed if you need to take out a water tank or perhaps to access stuff at the very back of the inner hull. So it ought to be easily removable.

 

The big problem is that during the build, the cover is installed onto the frame, then the hull is lowered down and bolted in place. On "Mouse" the cover was trapped hard between those two pieces. Please get a strong light and closely inspect your cover! If it is NOT pinched as mine (Hull 218) was, please comment below and also post a picture so we can see what is different. I have notified Service of this situation.

 

 

First the bumper has to come off. Remove the two huge hinge bolts and carefully lower it to the ground, it is fairly heavy. Hopefully the nuts will come off - one of mine seized solid since none of the stainless hardware on the trailer has anti-seize compound applied at the factory. Using a two foot breaker bar I kept turning the bolt head until it sheared off at the base of the nut. These bolts are easily sourced locally if you have a problem. Hopefully you won't need to drill off the head of one...,

 

 

Drill out the two 3/16" diameter aluminum pop rivets that secure the pin lanyards. Lift off the cover. Wait a minute.... it is locked down tight up front and it FEELS as if nothing short of dynamite is going to get it off. I considered loosening the hull to frame bolts so I could jack up the hull a little, but that would have been a huge job. After much head scratching I finally figured out how...

 

 

By applying gentle rearward pressure (pushing forward on the handle) of a big tire iron, while beating the heck out of the cover with a big soft mallet, it should come off. It took about five minutes. Be sure to switch sides often since you have to free up the opposite area too.The cover moves only microscopically after each hit. I was afraid that it would tear out big chucks of gelcoat from under the hull overhang, but the sharp diamond plate ridges just cut their way through it.

 

 

 

What you do not see in the above picture is all the dried up tears I shed trying to figure this out. From a design standpoint, the method this cover was installed is pure garbage. The hull is supposed to float on its rubber pads, not grind away at the rear cover, which could cause stress cracks or worse years from now. Shame on Oliver.

 

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

 

 

[John E Davies]

I used a Black and Decker Workmate to hold the cover for easy access. You could probably clamp it down to a table or workbench.

 

[attachment file=IMG_7926 ALT.jpg]

 

Cut away the material that extends under the hull, and file the openings smooth. Make sure the openings are large enough that they clear the gelcoat completely. Material will also have to be removed from the top off the 90 degree down bends.

 

 

 

Note that I sanded down the diamond plate on my cover as part of my rear cargo rack installation, yours won't look like this.

 

Here is what is underneath that cover....

 

 

The front of the compartment consists of a bent plate that is screwed to the hull in two places along its upper and lower edges.

 

 

 

I'm not sure exactly how you are supposed to access those bottom ones, but I suspect you would have to drill some small access holes from under the frame to get a screwdriver onto them.

 

Here are the rivets you will need to reinstall the pin lanyards.

 

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[Overland]

Mine was also tight against the fiberglass.  It popped a decent chip out of the gelcoat on the curb side during our first trip, which Oliver repaired perfectly.  We haven't had any problems since then - I'd have to check to see if it's still tight or if they made some adjustment.

[ScubaRx]

My question here is why? I’ve owned an Oliver for over 11 years and have NEVER found a need to remove this panel.

[John E Davies]

My question here is why? I’ve owned an Oliver for over 11 years and have NEVER found a need to remove this panel.

 

It's a crummy design. The hull is supposed to be separated from the frame by rubber cushions. It is supposed to "float". With it pinched hard in back in two small spots, the twisting stresses go directly into the fiberglass. Imagine slamming the frame hard onto the pavement as I have done.... all that energy is violently transmitted directly into the glass. Even if you don't smack the frame, there is destructive grinding going on there all the time. It takes a LOT of pressure to do this:

 

[attachment file=IMG_7925 cropped.jpg]

 

It is supposed to be an easily removed access panel, which it isn't. Overland had screwed-up gelcoat. Luckily mine did not chip. I wonder how they do the removal at the factory? I wonder why nobody there thought this might not be a good thing?

 

BUT ... are they all installed this way or just a handful?  With only a couple of data points you can't come to any meaningful conclusions. Do you remember the missing  inverter ground cable problem? That is why folks need to look and see what is going on with their own hull.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[John E Davies]

Mine was also tight against the fiberglass. It popped a decent chip out of the gelcoat on the curb side during our first trip, which Oliver repaired perfectly. We haven’t had any problems since then – I’d have to check to see if it’s still tight or if they made some adjustment.

Was the cover the cause, or did the chip occur when they removed the cover for another reason?

 

Thanks,

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[Overland]

It chipped because the panel was tight against the fiberglass, either from vibration or flex while driving.

 

Steve, I do think John is right, though there must be enough clearance on most trailers since it's not a widely reported issue (I thought mine was an isolated case until John's post).  In my case, and it looks like John's also, the corner of the hull was resting on that plate.  My guess is that the plates were bent ever so slightly smaller than they should have been, and as a result they were resting on the radius of the bend rather than completely flat on the frame - hence why John had to use a mallet to push his down while pulling it out.  Either that or the hull wasn't shimmed enough.  Or just random bad luck on assembly tolerances.

 

Anyway, I don't plan to pull mine out and cut it since it seems to be O.K. now.  Time will tell.

 

John, I bet that just grinding off the tread on that plate might have been enough, rather than having to cut it.  I'm curious what you used to grind those treads, btw - and how you got a perfectly straight edge on it.

 

FWIW, I noticed after our last trip that I've got similar chips on the front where the propane box meets the hull.  I haven't looked closely at it, but obviously there's some flex there where the propane cover is pressed against the shell at the bottom.

[Landrover]

John

 

please post when you separate the body from the frame for what ever the reason I’d like to see that.

 

I think that’s the one thing you haven’t done yet.

[John E Davies]

John, I bet that just grinding off the tread on that plate might have been enough, rather than having to cut it. I’m curious what you used to grind those treads, btw – and how you got a perfectly straight edge on it.

I did try to get the plate back after removing the diamonds, but it would not slide in freely. I could have beat it in, but I really wanted there to be a ton of clearance.

 

Here is how I ground off the nubs, using a 3 inch hand belt sander, a Sharpie and a clamped on guide. It came out really flat since I kept putting the black ink on it to show the high spots. I did prime it heavily before installing it.

 

http://olivertraveltrailers.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/IMG_7927.jpg

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[ScubaRx]

John

 

please post when you separate the body from the frame for what ever the reason I’d like to see that.

 

I think that’s the one thing you haven’t done yet.

 

It can and has been done. I’ve got video and photos of mine coming off.

[Landrover]

Landrover wrote:

John

 

please post when you separate the body from the frame for what ever the reason I’d like to see that.

 

I think that’s the one thing you haven’t done yet.

It can and has been done. I’ve got video and photos of mine coming off.

 

That’s what I love about this trailer. Anything and everything can be  done on it.  Like to see the pictures

[John E Davies]

Bump for a OLD thread.

John Davies

Spokane WA