Leaderboard

Hello, everyone. My name is Nathan. I live near Santa Cruz, CA and my Elite II pick up date is end of April. I'll be doing the inaugural trip from TN back West at the end of May in a wagon train with relatives who also have a travel trailer. We have to make a stop near Austin, TX and then beyond Austin our plan is simply "Roswell, Grand Canyon, and all points Utah." Could be as much as 2 months. Once out West again I'll be full-timing it up and down the coast depending on where the best motorcycling happens to be for the season. This trip will not only be my first with the trailer it will be the first time I've ventured beyond hitchiking, backpacking, and traveling by motorcyle into the world of RVing. So while much of this will be new to me the level of comfort will also be quite new. No more sleeping in the saddle or being stuck outside in the weather. ;) I'm an admitted over-prepare-er as Phil @ Oliver can probably attest to given the number of emails he's had to handle from me in the last few months. ;) Beyond just introducing myself, I also have a question for y'all: What do you wish you had known about RVing and Olivers before you set out for the first time? I've read through the forum archives here (and elsewhere) and one of the things I've built into the plan is to live out of the trailer near the Oliver factory for a bit as a smoketest. Better to get to know the trailer and shake things out while nearby than to uncover a surprise for the first time in, say, Roswell, NM. ;) Looking forward to seeing what advice y'all might have and maybe seeing some folks at one of the rallies. :D

Actually you can't do a whole lot without taking it completely out. You can look inside the two outside holes to make sure they are not blocked, and to look for soot, which is a sign of distress (or high altitude use). You can however get to the ignitor, and view the burner flame from inside the trailer. The manual recommends an annual check of the flame to make sure it is OK. Here is how you can do that. It will take about 30 minutes. Remove the rear top access panel under the mattress, on the curb side, and also remove the air return grill, (two screws). If you have a work light, drop it down in the hole so you can see. CAUTION: the screws to be removed are stainless steel and non-magnetic. If you drop one it may disappear forever under a pipe or duct.Be prepared to find a replacement. I did not drop any...but it was a close call a couple of times. Remove the front screw of the furnace cover, easy: The second screw is hard to reach, it is on the other side inline with the first one. I used a stubby to get it out: Remove the sheet metal cover. Here it is with a bunch of instructions, on BOTH sides: I don't know the purpose of putting the operating instructions INSIDE the furnace. The bottom of the fiberglass cover would be a more logical location....! This is what is inside the opening, it's an air plenum of sorts to distribute air from the fan, which you cannot see. The silver plate holds the ignitor, which you could easily change in a few minutes, and it has a small clear window for viewing the hot stuff inside the burner can. I don't know exactly what would be accessible if you removed that plate. Notice that Oliver puts foam insulation on the water pipes below the sharp edges of the furnace housing. Bravo... The area is very hard to see directly!!! I used my phone to take pictures so I could see what was there, and I used a 2 inch round mechanic's mirror to watch the flame. Here it is with the furnace running, with a camera flash: And this is sort-of what it looks like, no flash. With your bare eyes it is easy enough to see the flame. The flame should be blue and stable, no yellow or flickering: If the flame looks good, put the cover back on and write down the info for future reference: If the flame doesn't look as it is supposed to, there is a problem and the furnace will have to be removed and checked by a professional. While you are at it, visually inspect around the furnace to make sure the ducts and the gas connection and wires look OK. John Davies Spokane WA

Just finished my maiden voyage of 24 days and 2000 miles in my Elite. Had several issues but had a great time! Saw lots of Utah and fished Utah, New Mexico and of course the Colorado. Boondocked at Canyonlands and Escalante. Still afraid of the water system so using water from five gallon container. Having issues determining how much water is in the tank. When I initially added water from my home it gushed out from underneath the camper. I don't know if I haven't closed a valve properly or what. Am configured properly for water though. Weathered a blizzard in Bryce with 60 mph winds and whiteout, and even drove across the pass towards Cedar City Utah with no issues. Easier to pull and maneuver than I thought. Oh and I caught a 24" Rainbow on the San Juan. Life is good!

This is a super easy appliance to work on. One reason I did not buy the Truma heater is that it can't be worked on by the owner. The only thing you can't easily do with the Suburban as an owner is check and adjust the gas pressure. This thread won't cover anode replacement and other "wet" stuff like flushing the water tank. Instead it will show you how to inspect the burner can, thermocouple and ignitor and gas jet. I used a couple of special tools, you may find that you don't need them or can use an alternate. Using a Phillips screwdriver, remove the two outside screws holding on the lower wind guard, then pull it straight off. Remove the steel clip securing the gas tube to the brass jet. I was able to pull it off with my fingers. Remove the two hex head screws holding the tube and ignitor/ thermocouple bracket to the main burner can. I used a special 3/8", 1/4" drive angle socket and a long extension, you could use a regular angle "wobbly" extension. You can't easily get in there with a wrench and the screws are too tight for a flat tipped screwdriver. Remove the little shield. Here you can see the bracket, ready to come out. More to come... John Davies Spokane WA

I had a similar experience with a Quincy 4wd E3500 RV with the 6.0 diesel. I took it to a shop for a checkup and after 20 minutes I said "Stop, that is enough". It was pretty worn out in front, the engine had multiple injector issues, some leaks and some other codes. I took it back to the seller and he then told me that he did not even have a title for it!!!??? I was really pissed and I slammed the door on the way out. You did right to walk on that 7.3 van. Not letting you inspect it was a huge danger signal. Tell me about the 200 picture, is that yours and where was that taken? That looks like the Green River down below. The Green is actually brown, and the Colorado River where it joins up is green - talk about weird... You should know that a 200 will pull an Elite II with minimal problems, it just needs rear airbags and the Anderson hitch. It would be really hard to carry all your bikes inside though... Are you going to be bringing the Tiger on this trip? It would be a great tool for exploring the desert, especially the White Rim. Bring a bag and sleep under the stars one or two nights. There is a fair amount of traffic along that route, so if you get broken down or hurt it is not too isolated. John Davies Spokane WA

Nathan, A quick reply on your van comments. I put 60K miles on a Sprinter, loved it, towed a few times with it, but finding a Sprinter service center when your "back of beyond" is a no go. I know, wasn't going to happen twice. I then purchased a Transit XL350 passenger with 3.5 ecobost. Great van, great powertrain, but not tow rated to pull an EII Oliver. (Unibody) So it went, and a new GMC 2500 truck replaced it, happy now. If your not any a big hurry, you can find some really cool 4x4 E250/350, hard to locate, but they are out there. Probably like the one you didn't pick up. I had one in my sights years back, should have grabbed it, would have saved me on the next two! RB

Nathan, add a signature so we can see what you drive. Are you planning to boondock and did you get the solar and Natures Head? There are so many cool things in Utah, but by mid May there will be a bunch of places you cannot reach yet because of snow, like the north rim of the GC and much of the National Forest high country. OTH the lower stuff will still be comfortable, Moab is worth a week at least. If you ride a dirt bike, being your gear and rent an ATV and go exploring. The White Rim Trail is stupendous but unfortunately you need a street legal motorcycle or 4wd truck and you can’t drag Ollie along. So if you want to do that drive, rent a Wrangler and be sure to make a reservation if you want to camp there, otherwise you just need a back country permit from the ranger station. The very best campsite is White Crack about half way along the 100 mile route. I love Moab, Canyonlands and Arches.... it is one of my favoritist areas ever. White Rim area pics: If you get there in June expect blistering 100 degree+ day time temps, you must either plug-in or bring a generator big enough to run your AC. Or head up high above 10,000 ft where it is cooler and there is some shade. If you like Overland style adventures, you could visit the Overland Expo West in Flagstaff starting May 17 .... https://www.overlandexpo.com/west/ but unfortunately they no longer allow “regular” travel trailers to camp there, just small offroad ones. Take lots of pics and please post them here! Finally, if you can borrow or rent a small travel trailer for at least a few days there in California, it will teach you an awful lot, and it will also make you appreciate how much better your Ollie is put together. It will also highlight accessories or equipment that you don’t have and can acquire before you head east. Like electrical adaptors, water filters, chairs, tools etc. https://rvshare.com/rv-rental/santa-cruz/ca John Davies Spokane WA

Welcome to the forum. How do you plan to transport the mc and what is it? What is your tow vehicle? Bastrop State Park east of Austin is a nice park if you are looking for a recommendation. I ride a dual sport and live in the Puget Sound area of Wa., good riding here, also some nice state parks and others for your Oliver.

We did change our cushions out so we could use them for our occasional twin bed conversion. We stayed with the medium density to match the mattresses. It doesn’t seem like it would be difficult to change to a firm density. If you are not changing the fabric covering it’s just a matter of cutting the foam. Easy do-it-yourself or any upholsterer could do it. Mike