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Showing content with the highest reputation on 10/04/2017 in Posts
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The first camper that we purchased in 2013 was an expensive 40-foot diesel pusher that was destroyed when it was about 7 months old when a tractor-trailer rear-ended us at a high rate of speed. Not to mention the name of the manufacturer, but I still think it was made by one of the best motorhome manufacturers with a reputation for great service to its customers. When we took it to the factory for our six-month service work and to have a few items repaired under warranty, we literally had to sit in the first-come-first serve line at their factory for 28 days waiting on service. They did have hookups in a bare bones RV park at their factory. We understood this when we purchased the motorhome, but 28 days sitting at the factory waiting for warranty work is still a long time. One of our good neighbors and close friends purchased a large and very expensive fifth wheel from a manufacturer located in Indiana about one year ago. It is our understanding that they have reportedly had a huge number of issues with no resolution in sight and damned little communication. We have had to have some issues repaired on our OTT when it was under warranty and at times the response was not immediate, but compared to what we have experienced elsewhere and what we have been told by friends and people we have met while traveling, we know that we are spoiled by the service that we've received at OTT. I will add that when we were in need of quick service while traveling, the Oliver people have gone all out to help us. No, we don't own stock in the OTT company or any vested interest and, although we really like the people in Hohenwald, we are not some of their best friends. We're just thankful customers. Hap4 points
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we finally have our trailer! Thanks to Phil and Ritchie for getting us up and going and to the additional factory workers who jumped in to help tweak a couple of things as we were leaving. We had a family emergency arise requiring us to leave earlier and more expeditiously than expected, but Ritchie and his guys were great! Thank you! We ended up staying at the Natchez Trace RV campground. Highly recommend this place! There are about 8 spots that face the lake on the front side of the grounds. We set up there and it was great. We stayed 2 nights. Very peaceful and a great view. Full hook ups. You’ll need a 30 to 50 amp coverter for power. We opted for full hookups as this was our first RV experience. Not as scary as I was anticipating. Even the tank dumping was easy! Now will be the fun part of getting things put in their proper places and customized. Oh, and I am so pleased about how our cushions turned out. We opted for our own fabric choice (Sunbrella fabric) and feel it was totally worth it! We are THRILLED!!!3 points
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And honestly, whenever we bring something to light here on the forum, the next thing you know, Oliver is overwhelmed with phone calls from everyone wanting that part of their trailer fixed anyway, so they do know what we are talking about in a wildly roundabout way sometimes... It would be nice if they had someone on here but that's why they have the "Service Bulletin" section that they alone post in. They are just a phone call away when needed and I do like having this as our own forum where can talk about anything, just like this. Reed3 points
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So, I may be responding from a different place, but in the good old days, the forum was paid for by Oliver, but rarely visited by anyone at Oliver We looked at this place as our "sandbox". I appreciate it when an Ollie rep chimes in. I don't, however, expect it. Sherry3 points
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But here in may lie the problem. No where in here is listed the ladder. Who's in charge? What is the structure? Who reports to who? Everyone seems to do their own thing, without any consequences...3 points
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I have mixed feelings on this subject. Both of us have hearing problems so errors in communications are often our fault. I tend to rely on email or text due to those issues. All in all, we have been treated fairly, with respect, and we have met some wonderful people. Our face-to-face conversations and experiences have been exceptional. I believe they care about their customers but we did experience a few problems with communications along the way. Now that we have our Oliver we have had a few minor issues getting thru to people per phone when we are on the road. I have had good results when texting Richie, he normally gets back to us ASAP, whereas others have not made return calls. Our problem right now is the fact that we are at the point where we need to make an appointment to get a few of those first year things taken care of at the factory (the fresh water tank fix, a minor drawer issue, etc.) but we are not sure who we need to contact these days. Do we contact a certain person in Service or in Sales to get a work order made up and schedule an appointment? Right now the old movie line “Who you gunna call - Ghost Busters!” is running thru my mind. ???? - ???? I think most of us were given personal contact cards on our Ollie pick up day but should we be calling those people every time we have a problem or question (for us - that is Richie who has been wonderful to us) or should we be following a proper chain of command? Does the fact that we phone the person that treats us well with all of our needs add more confusion on their end of things? My suggestion - Post a contact list online - maybe in a “for owners only” section - Date the list and update it whenever there are personnel changes. Part of growth is moving people around in the organization and that should be expected. Keeping owners aware of those changes is necessary. I think we could actually be helpful if we know who to contact first.3 points
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Kayrae51 - The answer to your question is: Richie Carroll. He can be contacted at: 931-306-9232 or rcarroll@olivertraveltrailers.com. Bill2 points
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Iow, Don't expect an answer here for your personal issue. Imo. Take that to the factory. In the history of our forum we've literally asked the factory people to bug out. I don't think it's fair to ask factory people to not have a voice, but be available for responding. ??? Sherry My opinion.2 points
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I agree with Sherry, out of the last 200 or so nights on the road, we have been plugged in 10 times. For four nights at Pete's house going to and coming home from Quartzsite, for four nights in Boise, ID while we attended a wedding, when we used a commercial RV park to be close to the family and for two nights at the Sales Office while we drove up into KY to view the eclipse. We "only" have 300 watts of solar. We average about 50 amps of usage during a typical evening after the sun goes down. We are generally back to full by 2 PM the next day. This is all with the Blue Sky system. 420 watts of PV would most definitely be plenty but probably unnecessary unless you are using more than 100 amps per night. On a related note, we really like camping for free and the time we spent at the RV park in Boise was expensive. We made up for it though, as we were able to sneak away from Pete's house before he woke up and got outside to collect his fee!2 points
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A (belated) THANK YOU to all who gave input! It was a thrill when we manually emptied the grey tank - which we've been doing ever since! The set screw will hold the cable in again one day, but for now, the routine is perfect. Again, thank you. :)2 points
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I did not plan on posting when John Davies started this thread. Yes, I have had a number of emails that weren’t responded to, but I didn't think my personal experiences would seriously contribute to the discussion or to solutions. But Spike’s recent post about an ombudsperson monitoring these forums made me stop and think. So I decided to respond and now my response has turned into a speech, although some might consider it more of a screed. First, the Oliver is a great trailer, and the people who work for Oliver are talented people who are trying to deliver a truly quality product. More important for me, and maybe you, is how this forum was instrumental in my purchase decision and also in enriching my camping experience. There are so many smart and creative people on this forum who come up with imaginative ways to improve the Oliver and to enhance camping. And they take the effort to share their ideas, often with clear descriptions and photos! Point 1. Oliver needs to designate an Ombudsperson. Serious issues have been brought up in this forum, and the only way we know what Oliver’s position is when an owner posts that “I talked to so-and-so at the factory and they said…” That is not enough. When we need information, Oliver needs to respond. Many of you have probably seen TripAdvisor reviews where the hotel manager responds to EVERY 5-star review with “Thank you for your positive comments. We appreciate your business.” Oliver does not need to reply to everything, but THERE ARE TIMES when a response is needed. Three examples: 1. Maverick’s post on Negative Battery Connection issues comes to mind. Maverick did a great job describing how to test with a multimeter, but if my trailer needs a fix, the descriptions of the fix are not sufficient for someone like me with less technical expertise. I would like Oliver to tell us whether all trailers likely have this problem or only some. Are there production dates (hull numbers) that are likely to suffer this problem? I think most of us are willing to fix this ourselves, but Oliver needs to post specific, detailed instructions, with photos. 2. The problems of the fresh water tank, from Dave Phelps. Karen and Reed, Raspy’s solution, and Topgun. Oliver should respond! What are our options as owners to get this fixed, especially for those of us who live far away and don't have Raspy’s exceptional skills. 3. Oliver had an online video on winterizing, but they took it down a year ago, just when many of us were getting ready to winterize. I posted that Tommy Staggs told me that “We took the video off because something wasn’t right in the video.” Buzzy posted later that Matt said that “We have taken the winterizing video down and had a professional shoot a new video last week. It’s being edited now and should be available this week.” Uh, it has been a year, and to my knowledge there still is no winterizing video from Oliver. This is the type of thing where the Ombudsperson should respond. We should not have to depend on second hand reports from owners. Point 2. Oliver needs to improve the communication, which was John Davies’ original point in this thread. My experience has been like others, in that more recently emails are not responded to, but phone calls still do get answers. I had a question about tank capacity, so I used the Service Request/Question link that Jason Walmsley has in his signature line. No response. Zilch. Nada. So I emailed Jason. No response. So I phoned, and got transferred so Scott Oliver. Scott did not know the answer, but he found out and got back to me. I have dealt with a number of people at Oliver, and I think they are all really good. They are knowledgeable and caring, and they are dedicated to making an outstanding product. Why don’t they respond to an email or pass it on to someone who can answer? My expectation is that they are getting too many emails, and don't have the time to deal with all of them. I think Oliver needs to hire more people to deal with customer support. When I was first looking at buying an Oliver they had made something over a hundred trailers, based on hull numbers. Now the hull numbers are in the high 200’s. If there are a lot more trailer owners, they need more staff for customer support. Oliver has a reputation for making great trailers, and for outstanding customer support. While they invested in ramping up production, they also need to invest in customer support to maintain that reputation for customer support. Point 3. We need improvements on this forum. As has been commented upon many times, the search tools on this forum are pitiful. This forum contains critical information, both for current owners and prospective buyers. The search tools need to be improved. The technology is out there, in that we see it on other forums. Oliver doesn’t have a sales force outside of Hohenwald; we are their sales force. I enjoy showing my Ollie to prospective buyers; I have one looking at my unit later this week. I did a lot of research on trailers before we made our purchase, and I think the Oliver is one of the best trailers made, and I try convey to prospective buyers my pleasure in the Oliver’s engineering and quality workmanship. I know I have sold at least one trailer. I hope that Oliver will make some positive changes. End of speech.2 points
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Just to follow up, I got a nice phone call from Scott yesterday. We mostly talked about some specific issues with our trailer delivery (solved), and chatted about Oliver in general, but we did talk briefly about the customer service issues. I know that they’re committed to solving all of these problems, it's just that those of us in the 200-club have had and will have our patience tried while Oliver finds a way through their growing pains.2 points
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There are pros and cons to the Zamp system, as pointed out. I think Oliver is in the right for the majority of their customers. The ultimate solution would be for them to offer the Zamp as the standard package and then the Blue Sky or similar as a 'pro' package. I'm a fan of Victron equipment and think that it would offer the best of both worlds, but I think it's unlikely that Oliver will switch from Zamp anytime in the near future. The real issue is that a group of owners were caught in the transition between the two systems and feel that they got a lesser system than what they paid for. I sympathize and agree. Oliver will sell you an 'off the menu' 420 watt system if you ask. I'm also working with them on a 640 watt system for my trailer which may or may not ever be offered, as there are some mounting issues to be overcome. My personal opinion is that 420w, plus an expansion port, is the sweet spot for most users, but 360w plus the expansion port is far from awful. After all, you can get a 200w solar suitcase system from Zamp that you can place anywhere; the drawbacks being storage of the panels (they ain't small nor lightweight), the trouble of deploying them, and the risk of theft if left unattended. Nonetheless, I think the pros of having a set of portable panels outweigh the cons. If you want a system that will apportion power demands from multiple power sources - shore, battery, and generator - it's possible, but you'd need to replace the standard inverter and charger with a hybrid inverter/charger like the aforementioned Victron. That's my plan, and hopefully will be a sweet solution, but it's neither cheap to buy nor simple to install. In the end though, you could tell it to only draw 15 amps from shore power, the rest from the batteries, and to automatically crank up the generator if the batteries get low. The system I've bought won't autostart a generator, but my great hope is to not ever need one. As for price, my opinion is if you think you will need a larger system, then go ahead and buy one now. This looks to be the final year that you can take the full tax credit on the equipment, which should make up for any price drops in the coming years. Plus panel and battery prices seem to have leveled out a bit now that demand is rising at a similar pace to supply, and we have the new fear that threatened higher import tariffs will be levied on Chinese made panels which some articles I've read say will almost double the current prices. So, place your bets, I guess.2 points
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My list of modifications is getting longer and some of these seem pretty important. So I thought I'd start this thread. One of the first ones was the stainless steel countertop with Corian side splash and IKEA faucet: The next is the Heavy Duty suspension kit and 3200 lb Star Wheel upgrade. This was prompted by breaking a wheel and wanting greaseable suspension links. I broke one of the Oliver wheels while it was on another trailer and discovered how thin they are: The next next was the spare tire modification. Mine came with an undersized spare and to fit the full sized tire I had to go to a soft cover:1 point
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We elected to not have the factory propane quick connects installed. We thought the front one was too vulnerable to stone/debris from the tow vehicle tires. And hence maybe the rear would be vulnerable from the trailer tires. At the factory tour , and inspecting ours, we noticed that fittings are close to where post production retro hookups would be easy. As the front one, because of the door and awning limitations, would not be used by us and it will not be installed. However, after using our Oliver for a while (and the rising price of those little green bottles), we have decided the rear quick connect would be desirable. We will install with a shield that will protect it from flying debris. Has anybody had any problems with these? Anything that I should look out for? Stuff to add, or look out for??1 point
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Wahoo! All set to get out and see this beautiful country! Trailer looks sharp! Sending our best wishes your way. Smiles...Kathy1 point
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I like the top center. My guess is that "snowball" will end up being called "Snowflake"? We had ours made locally and she used a vinyl that had small 'micro' groves built into it. When we went over it during installation, at a campground, with the squeegee any air was able to escape. With all the compound curves not one bubble. Ours went on a lot easier than the hull number, which we had gotten from OTT, and we installed. That little thing had bubbles everywhere. A fun project, but don't think it took more than 10 minutes to complete.1 point
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Congratulations!!! Very nice looking Oliver and I like your cushion fabric!! I think we were at the factory having warranty work done when you all picked up!! Happy travels!!!1 point
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It went on pretty easily. The curve wasn’t much trouble. I did it on a warm day in sunshine. I taped it on with masking tape making sure it was centered and level (Carol’s keen eye helped). I took the tape off of the top half and then part of the backing. Using a hard plastic squeegee I slowly worked from the middle out to the edge. Once part of the top was stuck, I took the tape off of the rest and slowly peeled the back off while using the squeegee to insure there were no air bubbles. I had a few small air bubbles, but they weren’t too noticeable and are now gone.1 point
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I'll definitely keep the blue - I like it too. You're right about the legibility. I don't want anyone to run into me trying to read what's on the logo. It is fun, isn't it? I've been thinking on and off for a while about doing something but couldn't figure it out, then I had to look up something in the owners manual this morning and saw the 4-seasons logo, and it clicked.1 point
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Overland, I really like the light blue background! Try not to eliminate that color. I also really like the snow covered peaks. With the white fiberglass body, the black frame will be great. So....there are three colors! I understand your logic regarding shying away from black snowflakes. Not sure adding a fourth color is the way to go. Think about how it will appear from a distance, say on the interstate. That was one reason I thought it might be difficult to read the word "snowflake" in the logo. Probably more info than you need, but this is fun! Buzzy1 point
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I too like the top center logo, but I think that if you don't incorporate the name, within a few years you will give up telling people and just start calling it snowflake instead.1 point
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You and my wife are definitely on the same wavelength. I'm O.K. with the name on the back, but she's like you - she'd rather keep it simple. I was hoping to keep it to two colors, but I was worried that the white snowflake might get lost against the light blue background, and something just doesn't seem right about grey snowflakes, so I tried the blue. I prefer white though. Once I get the actual artwork going, I might try some outlines or something to help the white flakes pop.1 point
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That’s a good looking trailer! Congrats, happy camping and hope to see you on the road. Mike1 point
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The Lonestar logo is 23.5”. I had two made in case I messed up installing the first one. Here’s a pic of my backup just now. Putting it on at Land Between the Lakes just after pickup. I had it printed locally because of the size limitation Oliver had. It wasn’t expensive and was easy to install. I think about 24” diameter is about right. Mike1 point
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Overland, Nice work. Great logos. I especially like the ones with the “4-seasons” logo. I agree the Lone Star logo is a perfect size for the front. Coming from the school of thought that “less is more”, I might go in the direction of a small logo in the back. If we carry that approach further, I might place the name “Snowball” near the door and hold off incorporating it into the logo. I do like either white or black snowflakes in the interest of holding to a maximum of three colors within the logo. With the body of Ollie being white, it is possible the black snowflakes would “pop” more than the white. Not sure. Buzzy1 point
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Here is the link to Sandy on tractorbynet.com http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/238908-found-coyote-i-think.html This is a forum thread that goes on for a lot of pages and has some great pictures. When you get up to pages 25 -29, or so, I wrote some conclusions about the experience and why we could not keep her and about the trip to Southwest. I hope you read these and give me some feedback about the whole experience. What is the real difference between a wild dog and a domestic dog?1 point
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We always let the fan run constantly. Especially with the AC, the fan does not go on and off with the compressor, but it is the same with the heat strips.1 point
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While I agree with many of the comments made here, I do see the problem very clearly. Oliver the company we all love, is growing faster than they planned or expected. Having started a small internet business that Amazon purchased in 2008, I know these problems all too well and there is no quick fix. Oliver will need to rethink its communication processes and that will require them to look up from the day to day business. It is painful but very necessary for the long term success. I learned this first-hand. I was forwarded a customer email by Jeff Bezos. His email to me had one simple letter in it "?" I later learned this was the worst email you could ever get from Jeff. Not only did he want the problem solved, he wanted plans & process in place for how this problem would not happen again as we scaled our business for 10 times the current number of customers. It took me months to address the issue to Jeff's satisfaction, it touched every part of the company and required new thinking of what customer service is and how we would single-mindedly deliver it. Clear processes, chain of command oversight, retraining of existing employees and integration into the fabric of the company where the corner-stones. It was one of the best business lessons of my career. I truly hope Oliver's management is aware and thinking about the bigger picture for it's customers.1 point
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Stan & Carol - its been years since I've been there to see the ponies. Have a great time! And, how about some pics? Bill1 point
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L&P, you would be fine at those temps to just place a small electric heater inside during the night. As to your question of when, living in the deep South, I don't go to the extent of actual full-blown winterization. I just blow out the lines. Malcolm Monlezun (a forum member and very experienced RV'r) lives outside of Denver and would be able to share his knowledge of using RV antifreeze. I think he may be on the road currently but hopefully he can chime in here.1 point
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Bill, We are heading to Assateague Island National Seashore tomorrow. Even this late in the season, could not get space on weekend. Need to get some seashore time in. Stan1 point
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Someone on "Oliver Trailer Owners"-Facebook suggested to blow out the lines with air compressor first and then just pour a small amount of RV anti-freeze into the sink drain, toilet, bath sink and so on. Make sure to drain the hot water heater. Go to the maintenance site and read it please or the manual. Do this please: Go to "Trailers" on the Main Menu-click it> then go to the bottom of the list-"Oliver University" then click on YOUR trailer 18-5 or 23-6 and Volia (there is) all the info you could ever want. Well, maybe not, but just call your sales person or Jason or the factory and they will be very pleased to hear from you... I'm not an expert on this yet myself. Also, need to worry about the places where you hook on the water hoses as those places have valves to keep the water from running back out. Maybe the air adapter will work there. I have an adapter but have not tried it yet. There are several different ones and here is the one I bought:RV Water Line Adapter1 point
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First of all, you still have some good camping weather, too early to shut it down. If there are some cold nights, before we want to winterize, just set the thermostat to about 40 degrees and open some of the hatches to let warm air down below, and don't worry about it. Stan1 point
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I agree with Raspy above. I have towed my Oliver all over the west including almost every mountain range without an Anderson hitch. There is no effect from big rigs on the highway and very little effect from wind. These trailers tow like small boats...no need for fancy towing gear. My ball has no excessive wear and has been in use for over five years.1 point
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For our first visit when we placed our order (Oct 2015) we stayed at Natchez Hills B&B. It’s associated with the Natchez Hills Winery. It was a log cabin in the middle of the woods about a quarter mile from the owners house. There is also a small house that you can rent at Amber Falls Winery. Here’s the only picture I have of our cabin at Natchez Hills. We really enjoyed the rustic ambiance. Mike1 point
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We have the front quick connect and use it frequently. Haven’t had any issues with rocks from the truck. Mike1 point
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I got both and use both, though the regulator will whistle and needs to be changed out one of these days because if we are running the fire pit outside full blast, it screams at us, but that's just another project on the list. It works and I prefer the back port because you're far enough away to not be bugged by the regulator whistling away... :) Reed1 point
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I'm curious if the CradlePoint WiFi is strong enough to reach the vehicle. Is the antenna that you had on the back of your Ollie part of the CradlePoint package or is that from a third party? I dig the umbrella stand. I'll have to look into the LevelMate - it sounds like a great solution especially when traveling solo..1 point
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Marinco EEL Pigtail Adapters. Allows me to plug into a standard 110 in my storage unit and run A/C (thanks, easy-start) and lighting, etc. I have a bucket under the A/C drain not to flood out my concrete slab in the storage unit. I love the built-in flashlight and quick grip lock no more misthreading outlet $63.84 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009IJJLZO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=11 point
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This mod will most likely create the most questions and I believe is the single most beneficial addition I could make to my Oliver. BTW prior to joining Apple, I lead mobility enterprise solutions for 10 years with AT&T and I know what really works and what is just a gimmick from a cellular and wifi booster reference standpoint. CradlePoint Cellular Router: COR IBR900 Series https://cradlepoint.com/ products/cor-ibr900-series Here is why: Enterprise Commercial-Grade hardware Supports LTE-Advanced (next generation Cellular protocol - next 3 years Future Proof) Supports SIM-Based Auto-Carrier Selection built in 2 SIM trays expandable to 4. Allows you to have either more than 1 Cellular Carrier (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, etc.) or allows you do double up on SIMs from same Cellular Carrier to prevent throttling back or exceeding data plan. Fully Ruggedized and built for vehicle vibration, temperatures, etc. Intelligent remote configuration via Cloud Access Redundant Power Capable WiFi: Dual-band, dual-concurrent WiFi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)* Wave 2 External Mounted Antenna: 3-in-1 GPS & Modem Screw-Mount https://cradlepoint.com/ products/accessories/3-1-gps- modem-screw-mount Amplifies Cellular & GPS Reception by a full 5 watts (Cellphone & Tablets only 0.5 watts) Significant improves cell & GPS signal reception thereby giving you stronger signal strength and increased bandwidth throughput. Gives you priority ranking of network vs. cellphones, tablets, & consumer hotspot devices. AT&T Data Plan (Unlimited +) You also have the option to buy program month to month or prepaid. Only subscribe when you need to use it or add it to family plan Allows you to use your home DIRECTV account with no charge against your Data Plan or you can subscribe to DIRECTV NOW if you do not have DIRECTV at home. https://www.att.com/bundles/ data-free-tv.html https://www.att.com/bundles/ directv-now-unlimited-plus. html The Cradlepoint router will work as the nerve center for your Oliver. Providing you constant and consistent wifi coverage in about 98% of the US. Also, it gives you the ability to jump from carrier to carrier via a webbed portal. Now that you have WiFi all the time you now have a connected RV. You can use wifi to place wifi calls, FaceTime calls Video or Audio only. Stream video, Music, gaming to your Trailer via laptop, iPad, iPhone, or AppleTV, and stream Over the Air Directv without data charges if you are an AT&T customer. I may use devices inside trailer like Nest Protect battery version (Smoke & CO2 detector). You can hook up WebCams, and other home automation products that run on WiFi. I'll also run my iPads of the trailers WiFi vs the iPads embedded cellular receiver because the trailers wifi will always have a stronger signal than the iPads embedded cellular antenna. I will also run my MacBook via the trailers WiFi which is great for working on the road.1 point
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I ordered my 2015 Elite II (now sold) without solar or inverter thinking I would DIY my own to save money. It proved too large and technical a project for me so I left #64 with the factory to have the full monte installed. They did a terrific job. 320 Watts, 2000 watt inverter, Blue sky, etc. The system performed flawlessly. September of 2016 we bought a 28' Airstream and sold the Ollie to snowlakemike. The Airstream had no solar, little battery, nothing... so I hired my local solar company to install 500 watts of Renogy panels, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter with Blue Sky controller and IPN remote. I added 2 Crown AGM batteries plus 2 Trojan wet cell batteries I had in reserve. (Yes you can mix batteries. Just don't cook the AGMs) Again I am happy with my solar setup. I say all this so you will know that I am a fan of solar, but if I had it to do again I would skip the panels and invest that money in some Lithium batteries . I hear good things about the Battle Born brand.. My Honda 2000i running on propane, on Economy mode will fully charge my batteries in no time at all. It will also run my 15000 BTU AC with the Easy Start computer. The Magnum inverter is also a smart charger and allows me to select the amount of charge amps it calls for. I keep this at 30 when on shore power, but drop down to 7 for generator. This places a very small load on the Honda while charging my batteries quickly and quietly. The OP already has the Honda. Try camping without solar for a while...you can always add the panels in the future. By the way. I have 5000 watts of PV on my home and sell about $100.00 a month to Gulf Power. Solar does have its place.1 point
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I have the 320 watt Zamp system and it is fine for me. I did ask for an external port to be added at the shore power connector, which now appears to be standard? I suggest you go with their standard system and you can always buy a good quality suitcase unit and a 50 ft heavy gauge extension cable for those times when it is really cloudy or you want to park in the shade to reduce the heat load on the cabin. You may find that extra watts are not needed... If you get the solar port be sure to check that the positive wire has its own separate fuse where it connects to the batteries! Mine did not, and they told me it was “installed as per manufactures instructions”. Which was simply wrong. It HAS to have a fuse since it is an “always hot” wire, even if there is no external panel plugged in. That unit will have its own fuse. OTH Oliver gladly sent me an inline fuse holder and fuse, which I installed in the solar cable, using a weatherproof butt splice and ring terminal. John Davies Spokane WA1 point
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