Leaderboard

We have the Dometic RM2454 fridge in our Ollie, and we have found that it can take a long time to get it to the correct temperature when it is warm hot. If I bring the trailer home from the storage place and start up the fridge, after 24 hours the fridge is only in the 50's or low 60's. It can take another night to reach the correct temp. This procedure can be a problem. For this trip, I was getting the trailer on Monday, and we wanted to depart today, a Tuesday. Yesterday I started the fridge on propane at 7 AM and brought the trailer home. Yesterday it was close to 100. At 5 PM, the fridge was in only in the low 70's. And then I had an idea. We have a bunch of blue ice containers in our freezer at home, and I moved them all to the trailer fridge. In four hours the fridge was in the mid 40's. This morning the fridge was at 36°F. It seems so obvious, but hindsight is always 20-20.

To my fellow Andersen users: I am a fan of the Andersen WD hitch, and believes it provides both safety and ease of towing to a number of us. But I also believe there is a design defect in the new model, one with a simple fix, and can't understand why Andersen hasn't yet taken care of it. I too like to raise the hitch assembly with the trailer tongue jack to put slack in the tension chains and enable easy installation or removal of the whale tail. And occasionally the ball shaft will "pop up" in its cone, pinching the pin if the whale tale is installed, or preventing the pin from going in if not. Then I have a real problem. I regard Andersen's semi-obvious advice to "don't lift the tow vehicle too much" as a bit silly, as none of us can tell beforehand when the ball shaft is going to lift up. We are engaging in what has become an operationally accepted practice, and the design should be such that the pop up/pinching problem should not occur. As I understand the hitch instructions it is the "cir-clip" on the underside of the ball shaft that is supposed to keep the ball shaft from coming out. The cir-clip in its groove is strong enough to keep the hitch from coming out even when we use the tongue jack to lift up the hitch assembly to generate slack in the chains. However, when the ball shaft does pop up, the cir-clip is forced to the bottom of its groove, and then the top of the whale tail collar (or retaining lugs on one variant) is pinched against the cir-clip with real force. The groove on the shaft of my unit is about twice as wide as the thickness of the cir-clip, allowing it to be pushed down when the ball shaft pops up. The problem as I see it is that Andersen is manufacturing the new model system with too little clearance between the top of the whale tail and the groove for the cir-clip. The fix as I see it would be to have an additional 1-2 mm clearance between the groove for the cir-clip and the top of the whale tail when mounted. Either relocate the hole for the mounting pin a bit lower on the shaft, or reduce the height of the whale tail collar slightly to provide more clearance. Then it wouldn't pinch even when the ball shaft has popped up in its cone. Andersen should recognize the problem for what it is, and fix it. I have admired Andersen's efforts over time to perfect their design, and would like to see them fix this current problem some users are experiencing. Hopefully they will. John Shkor, SailorsAshore

Finished the install today. I have to say AmSolar may not be the cheapest but they sure put together a nice package that includes all the little things and have great customer service that includes a great wealth of information on their website. I was so happy to see 467 watts flowing into the batteries via the color screen and the online VRM portal. Now if only I could power up the AC without gen/shore power. I have a pretty nice Samlex hybrid inverter/charger/transfer switch that has been in a box for a couple of years now. I thought about trying to install it but will probably just wait and use Victron's version so everything plays nice and then the last big cost factor... Lithium. Solar is so much fun!!!

Just got our new Oliver #489, we traveled from Ft. Worth, Texas to Hohenwald and got 22.8 MPG without the trailer on our new Ram 1500 4X4. With the trailer in tow we got around 12.5 to 13.2 MPG. I sure didn't expect to get 22.8 MPG as the sticker on the vehicle said, 21.0 highway. The truck specs are listed below, I was traveling between 65-70 MPH. Just to let you know the 5.7 Hemi pulls like the trailer was not there and the 8 speed trans works great, I also was in Tow Mode when pulling the trailer. trainman

This really deserves a new thread, Ram MSRP prices can be found at any dealer website. This one posts the lowest internet pricing in the USA. Most of his customers fly in and drive away. https://www.dennisdillonchryslerjeepdodge.com/?fca_campaign=Locations_a&fca_digadprov=dealerinspire&fca_channel=Search&fca_campaign_type=google&fca_agid=rambr_nodlr_local_Boiseram&fca_digadcid=1843332605&fca_adid=346288492966&fca_keyword=ram%20dealer%20boise&fca_mm=where&&gclid=CjwKCAjw67XpBRBqEiwA5RCocSfI_7ExNds_musLsBQPHBKJjja7Y525ZM9z33J_eP31YZrEyKqMsxoC_scQAvD_BwE If you want a truck that you can drive for ten years, get a Toyota Tundra or Land Cruiser. Any modern diesel truck (post 2007) or any other gas brands with tons of electronic doodads like active aero shutters and exotic suspension designs are going to be money pits over the long term, when out of warranty. Simpler is better. High quality is best. How many miles are you expecting to drive, annually? John Davies Spokane WA

It depends on how much energy you anticipate using. The microwave can use a lot of power. Clearly, @rideadeuce would not have added additional solar panels to go from 350 watts to 520 watts if only a 100-watt panel could be sufficient. There was a good thread discussing energy use HERE, and you could conduct an Energy Audit as described HERE.

I can confirm the above. We do not have a black tank flush valve either (Elite I hull#409 completed in late November 2018). That's good, because if we did it would be impossible to get to. I can see most of the tubing from where it enters the hull to where it enters the black tank with a flashlight and a mirror-on-a-stick, but most of it is buried under or behind the furnace and there is insufficient clearance to get a hand/arm into or around that space to operate such a valve if it did exist. The 2019 Owner's Manual (dated 1/8/2019) has removed the prior reference to this valve. See the "Oliver University" link under "Travel Trailers" above to download the latest owner's manual (now a single, merged Elite I and Elite II manual). Tom

"Oliver has one unique feature that makes it exceptional for boondocking, and that is the ability to use the rear water port (on the web site they call it the EZ Winterizing port) and the water pump to add water to your fresh water tank. It works quickly and easily. I don’t know of any other trailer that has this feature! The Black series 15 and 19 have the same ability and provide a 1.5 inch hose." This is, indeed, an uncommon feature in the US market. Oliver is a leader here, imo. We've had that feature since 2008, when no one else had it. SAVED our trips, a number of times. The black series came from Australia, where many features are different. And, oh, so much variety in camping trailers that we'll never see here, I'm sure. Part of the fun of our two camping trips downunder was checking out the wide variety of rigs in our campgrounds. Paul and I discussed one last night. Two women and three kids in a tiny car pulled in next to us, with what looked like a tiny cargo trailer in tow in southern Australia. That little 4 x 6 ? Maybe trailer folded out to a huge tent, and equipment coming out like clowns out of a car. The Aussies have it down, for sure. Sherry

Payload is 5,920 lbs. USS Ollie arrived today!

Granite, That is a very good choice. Nobody "needs" a one ton to tow an Ollie. Plus the one ton's ride is very stiff, and they are more expensive. Diesels used to be more fun than they are today. And their reliability should always be looked at carefully before buying one. Plus, that is a very expensive option and the fuel is more expensive. If I was to get a new truck, it would be a Ram 1500 Rebel with the 5.7 Hemi. The air suspension is wonderful for towing because it self levels with added tongue weight. They have had some problems with it, but mainly that was in cold weather where the system was freezing up. The E-Torque is mainly designed to help with mileage around town in stop and go traffic. It doesn't help on the highway. We live in the country and never get into traffic, so I had decided to not go for that expensive option.