Leaderboard

I designed the solar system installed on the first Elite II built (mine.) I decided I wanted to use Blue Sky Equipment because it looked like the best on the market. It was good looking, had a ton of features and allowed you to really customize the system to best suit the end user. A downside of all this was, with its four levels of menu options, it was and still is complicated to set up and it overwhelmed a lot of the early owners that chose to have the solar option installed. At that time (2013), the most cost effective panels were 100 watts each and I chose to use two with them to be mounted on the roof. I also chose the Blue Sky 2512iX-HV Controller and the Blue Sky IPN PRO Remote Meter with current shunt. In less than a year, 160 watt panels were the same price that we had paid for the 100 watters we originally used so they started installing two of them for a total of 320 watts. This was the equipment that became standard for Oliver’s solar package. I added a third 100 watt panel to my array so I now have 300 watts and it works perfectly. Having 320 watts could only be better and it is my personal belief that that is sufficient. We have never failed to achieve a full charge the day after using our usual overnight average of about 50-60 amps. Usually we are back up to full by 2 PM. We have the 4x6V Trojan AGM’s. I know other owners with the 320 watt Blue Sky System have had very similar or better results. I agree with Reed on the Zamp system not being an ideal choice. The decision to switch from Blue Sky equipment to the Zamp equipment was prompted by the service manager a couple of years ago (he is no longer with Oliver.) When I questioned his decision about making the switch he stated to me that the Blue Sky system was "too complicated and the owners did not want or need to know all the information that it provided !" He apparently thought a "simpler" system was in our best interest. The solar package can be added after the fact. I am currently assisting another owner in installing a Blue Sky system. Oliver has agreed to add the panels (to the roof) and wire them to the controller and remote meter, that we will install beforehand. Oliver realized early on that customers that did not initially buy the solar package might decide at a later date that they just had to have one. Installation on a completed trailer entails some difficulties. Running the rather large wires, mounting the rooftop panels and fishing the wires from the roof down to the controller are just a few. Their forethought has made the job much easier. There are backing plates molded into the roof so that the panel brackets have something to attach to besides just fiberglass. There is a wire chase molded into the roof to allow you to run wiring between the shells. Some of the solar wiring is already in place for this very scenario.

The Elite has the 200watt, the Elite II has 320watt. At this point and time, personally I would not buy the Zamp Solar System because there are many other better systems that sell for a more reasonable price elsewhere. The Zamp system is overpriced at $2800 installed on the Oliver and it doesn't do the job for us. Others are happy with it but do a search here and do some reading. I would go with a 480watt minimum to start. http://www.offthegridrvs.com/Zamp-320-watt-SRRV-kit-p/ZS-320-30A-SRRV.htm?_vsrefdom=adwords&gclid=CjwKCAjw3rfOBRBJEiwAam-GsI0jzPEPEDfGWKKqJlQHNVmT-lpV9TfJfec98aOhjDWdSy3Q2piMLhoCODEQAvD_BwE

Free, You don't need any hose for pickup. The hose goes from the quick disconnect to an outdoor appliance of your choice. Once you decide what you want to run, where it should be and where your disconnect is installed, you'll know what length of hose to get. I run either an outside camp stove or propane fire pit and I have 30' of hose. My disconnect is in front of the propane bottles.

How far from the trailer do you want to be? I have 2 - 10' Camco extension hoses extra with an 8' lead off of my fire pit.

We're staying here when we go up at the end of the month for our factory tour so I can't say how nice it is or isn't. They allow pets for an extra fee. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/11511258?location=Hohenwald%2C%20TN%2C%20United%20States&s=nSQY_YKJ

We picked up our Oliver in June and planned a service call for Monday, September 10th to address some small issues (always a pleasure to see Jason and Richie.) Six days before that, it was looking very questionable if we would be traveling at all. Glued to the weather channel, watching a category 5 hurricane marching right up to our front door. Growing up in Florida in the '60s we had both been through some of the worst – Hurricanes Betsy and Andrew come to mind of the same magnitude. Boarding the house up and bring in everything that was not nailed down took two days. Not having a safe place to park our Oliver (Roamy) we hooked up with a plan to drive 5 hours north and stay a night in a state park on the Florida/Georgia border. From there we would head north to Hohenwald for our service call, standing out of harm's way. God laughs when people plan. Gas was already like hens teeth in Florida on Thursday and I decided to take 3 five gallon gas cans that I was lucky to get filled, as a back up. Thursday night and into Friday morning was anything but a 5 hour drive. The Florida Turnpike rest stops turn the roads into stop and go traffic that stretch for miles, as people needing gas backed up in 10 mile lines, effectively closing a whole lane. Fourteen hours later, with an hour to go to get to the state park, they called and said the park was closing and that we would not be able to spend the night. Looking for other options proved futile and with our only option being our second plan stop, Point Mallard Decatur, AL, we drove on. Rest areas, gas station, restaurants, hotels and any small island of comfort, looked like besieged kingdoms ready to fall. We drove on. Sometime not moving for 10 minutes, other times doing the speed limit. The governor of Florida eliminated all tolls and opened the northbound emergency left lane for travel, this helped but is would soon come to a massive standstill at the Florida/Georgia board with the governor of Georgia not allowing the emergency left lane to be used. We had burned 40 gallons of gas to go 303 miles. The 15 gallons I loaded in cans made the difference from being on the side of the road and reaching Tifton, GA where we found gas with only a 30 minute wait. We drove on. 26 hours past and we felt the miles willing us to stop but as the signs for Decatur came into view, it was like a second wind blew in to help us along. We pulled into Point Mallard RV Park Friday night 11:30 pm. Like so many people we would meet in the coming days, the camp hosts came out to greet us. They make sure there was nothing we wanted or needed. We parked under a canopy of trees and rested for two days. As Monday’s sunrise came into view we pulled out like we had woken from some bad dream that only parts of it could be recalled. We headed to Hohenwald. Roamy was scheduled to get a reading light, backup camera, water tank upgrade and to fix our door which we rubbing the top jam. I cannot say enough about the team at Oliver. We left better then we arrived and more importantly, knowing this company and people care about us. Monday afternoon, with the hurricane marching up the west coast of Florida, we were getting calls from our friends and neighbors telling us we dodged a bullet and that our house was safe. They told us there was no power and no gas, it would be a week before either returned. With our service call at Oliver completed by Wednesday, we decided to spend the next two weeks enjoying our Oliver and would travel as far north as Pawhuska, OK. We stayed in some beautiful parks like Birch Cove State Park outside of Barnsdall, OK right on the lake and Roosevelt State Park in Mississippi’s Bienville National Forest. By the time we came home to Florida we have added 4,000 miles of memories. The storm left us with a week of yard cleanup and as my wife and I turn out the light last night, we both asked “When do you want to go again?”

What a wonderful story of making the best of a bad situation & counting your blessings! As Irma's eye plowed over Lakeland & our 1920s bungalow rattled for four long candlelit hours, I was wishing we had our Oliver to escape with. The next hurricane season we will!

If your hitch is up to the task, class 4 or better, then your TV is certainly stout enough to not need a WDH. But you need to assess the condition/age of your equipment. If in doubt, have everything inspected and qualified by a local shop specializing in hitches and the like. Backing is doable without all the modern cameras and gadgetry. Although I will say when I get my new truck, it will have a backup camera! As it is now, I can hitch up just fine by myself. Straight back ins are pretty easy. Angled back ins require a bit more patience and care. It takes about 4 or 5 creeps up to the hitch. Have to get out of the rig and look each time. Go slow, you will be able to visualize your approach angle with practice. With the wife helping as spotter, it's a lot easier for sure. Saw one of these for the first time last trip out, the owner liked it, but I have no personal experience with them. https://www.amazon.com/DuraSafe-Coupler-Connect-Trailer-Alignment/dp/B004VWETFU/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1506728306&sr=1-2&keywords=hitch+guide Dave

On our most recent trip, and after a long haul down a pretty rough gravel road, I noticed the spare tire cover was coming off. When I pulled down the license plate to inspect, I found the X-nut (?) used to secure the cover was hanging on by just one or two threads! Good thing I stopped to stretch when I did, as I still had some miles to go. So what I have done now is to pack out behind the cover with some 5/8" washers on the threaded rod. This fills the space between the back of the cover and the threaded aluminum bar that actually secures the tire. Then, with he cover back on, I have added a second 5/8-11 nut on top of the X-nut to secure it. If you travel rough roads often, I would recommend securing the cover in this way. Dave

We drove through some hot weather at the beginning of our recent trip. Our traveling companions, pulling their Casita, drove with the Fan open on the roof and also with a trailer window open. (The Fan was off.) They did this to create some ventilation through the trailer, so that the trailer interior was cooler when they arrived at their destination. The Oliver Owners Manual explicitly states that the trailer windows should be closed when the trailer is moving, and the MaxxFan instruction manual has a similar prohibition. Has anyone tried this with their Oliver?

Hello Roguebooks! Thank you for your interest in our Oliver trailers. I do apologize for the delayed response from the sales department as we have had some problems with our telephone system and the messaging going to other departments, but it's being fixed. That said, if you will please give me a call directly, my name is Kelly Robinson and I manage the sales department here. I can provide the information you will need in order to make a well informed decision. I'm quite familiar with the Escape and other fiberglass options on the market in the event you have questions regarding comparison. The most important thing I can tell you about investing in our Oliver is that you are doing exactly that, it's an investment that is built to last. We pride ourselves on providing excellent customer service and building a high quality trailer. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you soon, Kelly 931-796-1178