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Sorry to hear of these issues. A couple of thoughts. Henrys Lake is more than any 20 miles from the West Yellowstone gate and it is west of there not east. Bakers Hole which is a USFS campground just a few miles north of the town of West Yellowstone is a decent campground. They have some electrical hookups but no full for sewage etc. There are also a few other USFS campgrounds in the general area, Beaver Creek and Fishing Creek but they are a ways out from the park. Figure at least 30-40 minutes drive to the west gate. Fishing Creek is very shady so if you need solar not an ideal choice, Beaver Creek and Bakers Hole are much better. Flagg Ranch on the Rockerfeller Road between YNP and GTNP also has RV sites but no experience there. There are book docking places around the West Yellowstone area but none of them are special by any means. Heading west out of town from WY there is a slew of USFS campgrounds on the Hebgen Lake, Lonesomehurst being the first one. Rainbow Point also on Hebgen Lake is a large USFS campground and not too far from the west gate of YNP. I haven't been out to Rainbow Point in a long time so not sure what the attributes are there in terms of hookups. FWIW in the conversation my wife and I toured the Fishing Bridge RV spot earlier this summer. Not our cup of tea, very tight crowded spaces and unappealing. I can't believe they charge that much money for such an abominable space. Much prefer the campground at Canyon by a huge margin. If you are not opposed to camping toward the north end of the park there are also a quite a few USFS campgrounds out from Cook City & Silvergate. Haven't been down to Cody in a long time so not familiar with that entrance but would imagine there are many USFS campgrounds and RV resorts along this route too. Cutting to the chase my top recommendations would be the YNP campground at Canyon or Bakers Hole just north of West. Canyon might be closing down soon though. Hope this helps
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Truma CP plus Reset Procedure
Tony and Rhonda replied to Tony and Rhonda's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
@FloraFauna Thanks for the manual. Looks like the one I have. Our Truma equipment was installed in 2023. -
Yellowstone Grizzly RV park in west Yellowstone is $162/night for FHU pull thru. Henry’s lake sP is ~20 miles west of the west Yellowstone entry gate and is $30/night for water & electric
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Complete change-over to Victron equipment
thompsonkd replied to ScubaRx's topic in Ollie Modifications
Thanks JD. We are in the process of considering upgrading our Battleborn’s. Long term we would like to replace most of our electrical system, but want to start with batteries first. We have the PD converter and Zamp system with a 2000 watt inverter. Our course that means a new AC as well, since we have the original Dometic! Battery technology is evolving quickly, so it seems like we can get pretty robust storage, and hopefully it would last us for a while. Thanks again! -
Mike from Nashville was first to purchase Epoch (April 2024) and the Victron Multiplus II inverter/charger. He went with 2x 460 for 920 Ah in the Epoch Elite Series with Victron Comms. Two very large batteries just fit the battery bay without the Morryde tray which is not required, truly designed for watering lead acid batteries. The same two batteries today are listed at $5,200 (wow $2,600 each)! I believe the two were under $4K in 2024. I believe I was first to go with two 300 Ah Epoch Essentials for 600 Ah (mod link below). I purchased ours in July 2024 for $899 each. The list was $1,099 at the time, sale priced for $999, then 10% OFF for their 4th of July sale! Black Friday a year ago, I added a 3rd battery for $1,019 (ditched the tray, or you can keep it like Steve did). How did we ever do before 900 Ah? 🤣 When going Epoch you must consider the Essentials Series. The Elite is more expensive for "Victron Comms" and the PRO Series is a starter combo battery, no heaters or Bluetooth and you need a true Deep Cycle battery for power storage in an RV. Today the Epoch Essentials 300 Ah battery is up to $1,249! Epoch used to mark prices down and/or give 10% or 15% OFF. No more, look for their regular 5% off sale. However, last Black Friday gave 10% OFF and they could repeat that (just 2 months away). Also, if I was buying Epoch essentials today, they came out with a 334 Ah battery in the same case dimensions 2 lbs heavier for $1,299. This model is lower $/Ah ($3.89/Ah vs. $4.16). My first purchase was $3/Ah. If 334 Ah batteries were available previously I'd have 1002 Ah! Who will be first to break 1000 Ah? 🤣 Think that's too much? We run our variable speed A/C for days! https://www.epochbatteries.com/products/12v-334ah-lifepo4-battery Now with 2+ years experience, I will tell you the Epoch Bluetooth App really s#cks. Sometimes it sees my 3 batteries, sometimes 2 or none at all. Performance has gotten worse vs. better. I've uninstalled and reinstalled the app which doesn't help. I now count on my Victron Shunt and other Victron readings from the inverter, etc. The Epoch app sees all of my Ruuvi sensors and our Samsung products, so why in the world can their app not see their own products? 🙃 I've been the Epoch advocate for two years, but... This came up in another thread recently! I wrote a month ago that as their sales volume goes up, so will their price point! The price was $599 a month ago and now $30 more. give it a year and they will likely be $800 or more. https://www.vatrerpower.com/products/vatrer-12v-300ah-bluetooth-lifepo4-lithium-battery-with-self-heating-200a-bms-supports-low-temp-charging-4-f-5000-cycles-2560w-power I heard they have good reviews, from another Oliver owner, but do you own research on comparable LiFePO4 products today. If I was in the market, I would have jumped on 3 of these, 900 Ah for $1,800, or 600 Ah for $1,200 if that's enough for you. Just to be clear, I'm dissatisfied with the Epoch Bluetooth App, not the batteries. The Epoch Essentials have serviced us well for over 2 years, never a glitch. I have run them down under 20% SOC, down in the teens four (4) times and it no longer concerns me to do so (Chris worries a little). Via the Victron MP2 they perform as well whether full at 90%+ or low at 18% SOC and we run our inverter 24x7x365. For example, we just camped 10 overnights in SW Colorado, not once plugged in. We ran the Chill Cube A/C for 3 days, used everything 120VAC (oven, pressure cooker, induction plate, water kettle, TV/soundbar and modem/Wi-Fi). On day 10 we were down to 27% SOC of 900 Ah (which btw is equal to 81% SOC on 300 Ah Battleborn batteries). Got home with 40% SOC due to the Orion DC-DC charger while towing home (could have towed to another campsite with enough power for another 2 days). We have 320 rooftop solar and we setup our Renogy 400W suitcase on 4 of 10 days. The best thing you can do to your Oliver is get 2-3 times the Ahs in LiFePO4 batteries you'd ever think you'll need! 😎 Best wishes, JD
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Truma CP plus Reset Procedure
FloraFauna replied to Tony and Rhonda's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Here is the Cp plus manual (2023 version - yours may be different). Although resetting is a recommended step, it has never resolved my CP plus issues. CP Plus Manual.pdf -
Truma CP plus Reset Procedure
FloraFauna replied to Tony and Rhonda's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
I have had this problem on and off. First time was a wiring problem from the factory which was resolved. With that resolved, if you forget that the inverter is off and you are not on shore power, of course, you wont see the ac unit. I find that sometimes it takes awhile after the inverter is on for the ac to "reappear". Must say i havent figured it out yet since it comes and goes. Certaintly a communication error is suspect and probably a connection or wiring issue up in the ac since the furnace and water heater are reliably present in cp plus. -
Out Truma CP plus 'sees' our AquaGo but doesn't see our Truma A/C. I've found other posts about resetting the CP using the procedure in the manual but I can't find the procedure in the manual we have. I think I remember reading it in another post but can't find it now. I'm not sure we have the complete CP manual so would someone please post a link to the CP manual which has this information or the post with the steps to reset the CP. Thanks, Tony
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I had Lew’s team at Alcan install these upgraded wet bolts during the 5 leaf pack install. Also made sure the zerks were facing inside the under belly for much easier access when servicing wet bolts. Also had Alcan HD shackles installed. Very happy with my Alcan running gear.
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@Steph and Dud B Thanks for the info, I’m one year in with the Bauer and no issues yet. But if I have a problem I’ll keep this in mind.
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Complete change-over to Victron equipment
thompsonkd replied to ScubaRx's topic in Ollie Modifications
It seems like for most people that move away from Battleborn batteries they go with Epoch. Is there a consensus on which series folks like, essential or pro? And I do notice Epochs are on sale periodically; any leads on discounts? Thanks in advance… -
Our daughter graduated from NAU in Flagstaff so we made many trips north from Sierra Vista/Ft Huachuca while she was there. We always looked forward to seeing her but also enjoyed the area around Flagstaff a lot. Walnut Canyon was worth the visit!
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We stayed at Henry’s Lake SP and had a very nice experience. Close to Yellowstone and a relaxing place to stay!
- Yesterday
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As mentioned earlier, we've had 2 RV Lock keyless locks on our 2022. Both failed, one possibly due to water intrusion because Oliver cut the latch hole in the door too big, leaving a gap next to the exterior portion of the lock where water could get in. OTT sent us a replacement and I caulked around it. Even so, the replacement failed after 3 years for unknown reasons, so we gave up on RV Locks. We were just at the Hershey RV Show and met a rep from Global Products Group who showed us their Ultra ES Pro lock. The first thing I noticed was that it was very substantial, all metal construction. It also uses a different handle configuration inside and out. We talked him down to a price we could accept and bought one. I just installed it with no issues. The first thing I noticed was that the exterior portion was larger than the RV Lock, so it covered the gap left in the door by OTT nicely. It also included a large neoprene gasket, which was nice. Installation was easy and it functions well. One interesting note: there is no separate deadbolt. The deadbolt function simply locks the single bolt in place, rather than extending a second bolt. It would still stop someone from jimmying it open, though. The second thing I noticed is significant for us. Even with the striker plate all the way out, our door never latched easily. We had to really slam it to get the RV Lock to engage (perhaps the cause of the demise of lock #2). This latch closes cleanly and easily using the original striker plate. Our sleeping neighbors will be much happier. OTOH, the Bluetooth app for the lock seems glitchy. It has trouble staying paired to my Pixel phone. Not a huge deal for me, but maybe for someone else. Time will tell if this lock holds up. Will update here if things change. Here's an Amazon link: https://a.co/d/0bzR8SDZ
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Almost forgot! Check out this horse ranch at the start of Winona Ranch Rd with views of the San Francisco Peaks! Flagstaff sits below the left end of this mountain range. Picture taken when leaving camp the next morning. Home in under 2 hours. “I’ll be back!” 🤠 Where are you camping or have recently visited? Please post!
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I posted something about this BLM dispersed camping site in another thread, "Oliver - Again?" But this reference should really be in our favorite thread, "Where' Ollie!" So here it is! So many of us drive by Flagstaff AZ, whether you're going to The Grand Canyon or Sedona, elsewhere in northern AZ or just traveling to or from California! Winona AZ is 16 miles east of Flagstaff and just east of Walnut Canyon, which is worth a visit (I posted pics from our visit here just a few weeks ago). Walnut Canyon and these boondocking campsites are only 10 minutes south of I-40. Drive south on Winona Ranch Rd and turn right on FS Road 128. These are well maintained service roads with some ranch traffic. Our campsite was 2.5 miles down and there are 100s to chose from! Camp another few miles down this road and you'd be a short hike to the western rim of Walnut Canyon. 🤠
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It has been a few, perhaps 3, decades since I have stayed in the park, but I know the rates were not something I thought about. It was not a full service rv spot so maybe that is why. We were tenting then, and thus it was just a simple site. We ended up with a really good bear story. $125 just seems wrong, but I guess the sites are fab, and the demand strong.
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And he has the gall to think you're on a first-name basis! Good for you Craig, you got $50 OFF and most people effected won't ask. "If you don't ask, you don't get" is a good rule to live by. It takes time and patience, yes it's a PITA, but it never hurts to ask. We're heading that way next year. I understand it's hard to see Yellowstone, staying outside of the park due to the long distances, but $125/night is well beyond our budget! Anybody have some favorite campsites, boondocking or USFS campsites just outside of the park? Thanks
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Nice! Windy? 🤣 Hey Todd, after your visit, please let us know about Yellowstone. Still too crowded or good this time of year? Thanks
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We're talking TTs and not TVs. I've heard one of the negatives with EVs is tire wear. Yes, I do and here's why! (deja vu) On our '01 Dodge Ram 2500, the DOT label states 55 PSI Fronts, 80 PSI on the Rears with GVWR at 8800 LBS. Same Load Range E tires front and back, marked Max 80 PSI. Why does Dodge recommend 2 different fill pressures (PSI) for the exact same tire? The manufacturer is considering payload! With the bed empty our truck weighs about 6,000 LBS not 8,800. I run 60 in the rears around town and 70 PSI +/- when towing, considering gear and tongue weight. With 80 PSI in the rears and an empty truck bed, the solid axle will bounce down the road which is bad for the tires and suspension and feels like cr@p when driving! 55 PSI carries the Cummins engine up front. 80 PSI is recommended for the rears when actual load is at the GVWR of 8,800 LBS (we're never close). When we are fully loaded with tools, camping gear, full fresh water tanks in TT and 35 gallons in the TV, the Oliver is 6,400 and the TV is 8,300 LBS including tongue weight. For reason unknown, OTT recommends PSI higher than what carries the 7K GVWR. 🙃 We used to own an '03 Ram 2500. Same engine/trans, very similar truck but next Gen. It was spec'd at 9,000 LBS GVWR, 60 PSI fronts and 70 rears. Why the difference? 200 LBS higher GVWR and 60 vs. 55 PSI front and 70 vs. 80 rear! The '03 was quad-cab short-bed vs. our long-bed truck which can hold more weight in the bed. The '03 had more weight in the cab. It's always about the weight. Got the 2WD truck and trailer stuck in the mud while camping recently. Detached the trailer, aired down the rear tires on the TV to 30 PSI. Crawled the truck out, road it briskly down the dirt/gravel road to get the mud out of the treads. Backed to the trailer in a straight line, hitched and backed the trailer out in the same path we road in. I towed about a mile down the damp dirt road at 30 PSI. When on higher ground, I aired up for highway towing. I run 13 PSI in my dirt bike and 15 PSI on our SxS which is nowhere near the max rating but go higher and the front tire on the dirt bike will skid in a turn and the SxS if set to 2WD would spin on gravel. I run HIGHER tire pressures than the manufacture's recommendation on our '08 GX470 when highway driving since OEM is a P-rated tire and I upgraded to LT Load Range C tires which needs minimum pressure. I run pressure higher on my Lexus SC400 with wider HP tires since I like the steering light with a little skid! (less traction). On a race car 1-2 PSI can make a world of difference and nobody runs GVWR spec'd pressure on any sport vehicle. This is likely the 10th time I've explained this and hope it's my last! 🤣
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Galway Girl started following Yellowstone Fishing Bridge Issue and HP/Agilent/Keysight Oliver Owners?
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I’ve stumbled onto a couple others in the owners who worked for HP/Agilent/Keysight during their working years. Anyone want to report in and meet up at the rally? Craig Short - Retired from Hp/Agilent/Keysight
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Yeah the Loveland site is still a major hub for Keysight, servers/IT/support/R&D, I’m at the now headquarters in Sonoma County. We went through some layoffs but wasn’t bad, didn’t touch R&D much. I’d love a Golden Parachute about now but ain’t likely as they’re doing pretty well 😅
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4 nights at Henry’s Lake in Island Park ID. Before heading into Yellowstone. Great park and every sight has a great view. It can get a little windy though.
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I left after the split, after I had to let go of my first employee. The head over IT for the Corporation came out in 2000 and said, We where going to be getting rid of 50% of the end user systems next year and we needed to figure out what system and legacy procedures/systems we needed to sunset. Not what I signed up for. I had a friend At IBM that had been trying to get me over to IBM for several years. I gave him a call, and I had a job within 3 months helping to designing network and system security, also some software testing and integration for the Government. In the late 90s HP was the 2nd largest employer in Colorado, the largest was the state government. Agilent/HP in Loveland, CO had 3500 employees when I left. Within 5 years they had 300 people left. The site was empty by the end of 2010. The HP site in Fort Collins, was over 3200 people in the late 90s and are now down to about 1000, between HPQ and HPE. The Greeley site was shuttered in late 2000, losing 1000 employees. Some were absorbed by Fort Collins. There is no way I was staying around for all of that blood letting.
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Yellowstone Shuts Showers at newly revamped Fishing Bridge: We’ve had a reservation in Yellowstone for 9 months. They just sent a notice of no working showers today. We will be fine but I sent the GM a 50% refund request … at $125 a night, showers and bathrooms must work. I’ve grown weary of company execs who are clueless and don’t care for the customers they are supposed to serve. The "Amenity" Loophole: Because your reservation at Fishing Bridge RV Parkprovides you with a physical campsite, water, and electrical hookups, Xanterra classifies the public shower facility as a "complimentary amenity" or a separate service rather than a guaranteed part of your nightly site fee. Their terms dictate that the closure of a single amenity does not qualify a guest for a partial refund on the campsite itself. [1] Read more Thursday at 05:33 PM 1 1 Edit Report topgun2 My personal opinion is that you are absolutely correct. These "vendors" don't put nearly enough back into our National Parks and as a result, trash bins overflow, the lodges we all paid for are in sad need of maintenance as are the kind of facilities you mention. Yes, we are loving these Parks to death but I don't see where the vendors are doing anything but "taking" with precious little "giving. Bill Yesterday at 06:54 AM Report Tom and Doreen We had the a similar issue camping at Skidaway Island State Park, they had a water main break. We had no city water connection for the duration of our stay; no discount or refund. 19 hours ago Report Galway Girl Update: I emailed the GM for Xanterra with a concern of false advertising of amenities. He had a person call back to explain that they still had nearby restrooms open but no shower for 25 miles. They said they will apply a $50/night discount for the inconvenience. This dropped the price at Fishing Bridge from $125 to $75/night. Tip: Next year these bookings will be managed by Rec.gov instead of Xanterra, and they now only allow 6 months advance booking so if your going to Yellowstone next September, bookings open March 1.
