Leaderboard

Thanks to all for EVERYTHING. Someone said they wanted to know if I had taken possession of the new (2021) Ram 1500 4x4 Hemi Rebel with the tow package included. I do have it. First new vehicle in about 20 years. So much cool tech. I do web dev, among other things, but man, this is automotive, not web, and this is blowing my mind. I had no clue car tech was this advanced. (Ah, so many things "can" go wrong. 27 computer modules or something.) But, it has heads-up display, it's badass looking, I LOVE the height of it and have NO trouble getting in and out, and I love the power of the V8 (which I was used to), and the nav and the even disembodied voice coming at me. I like that it makes tacos and shoots them out the glove box at me on voice command. (Well, it seems like it could.) All of it. So much to learn. For those just joining us, I'll be towing an Elite 1 (late Jan deliv) and this is my Tow Vehicle. There are many like it but this one is mine. I am attaching a pic of it parked next to my nabe's SUV, which my Rebel looks like it could eat -- as a snack. Snarf! Here is the door sticker for your Truck Nerdz. And I could not be more excited. I love this thing! LOVE IT. Married it and had its babies LOVE IT. My dog LOVES it. Dogs and trucks, trucks and dogs. YAAAAAAHHHS. The sales guy at OTT is still telling me to get the Anderson. I am calling tomorrow to discuss this further while there is still time. FYI. Also shopping for a generator that will fit in Ollie "basket" option (or in whatever one buys to cover the back of a Ram 1500 Rebel securely) and which has a propane option. Still so much to learn, obviously. Overwhelming at times, but thank you all again!

Actually the old style one is not nearly that heavy. I did not weigh mine, but it is way, way lighter than a full 5 gallon jerry can, which is around 42 pounds. I guess the tray weight to be about 20-25 pounds. There is hardly anything extra underneath the bottom plate which is 1/8” thick, just some brackets. I do agree that you should not put any additional weight on the tongue unless there is no other place for it. Lighter is better in many ways, and the LE2 does not show any signs of twitchiness when it has a light tongue weight. I can’t personally comment on the LE. John Davies Spokane WA

I don’t know why they would not delete that one item for a cash credit.... worst case scenario, unbolt the basket (four 1/2” nuts under the tongue) and sell it here in the Classifieds. Or leave it in place and just don’t fill it with heavy stuff. You might want to use it now and then for firewood, or wet boots, or any kind of fresh road kill..... 😳 John Davies Spokane WA

You won’t need an Andersen with your new Rebel towing an Elite I. We are driving the same truck and I’ve considered ditching my Andersen and getting airbags for towing my Elite II. I mounted a light weight aluminum box on my tongue to carry blocks and chocks. It was only about $100 and has worked well the last few years. Congrats on the new truck! Mike

Every now and again Orvis puts out one of these videos that I find very interesting - this is one of them. Enjoy! BIll p.s. turn up your speakers for full effect.

Another thumbs up for Garmin - with "traffic". The traffic function really doesn't function everywhere - just mostly around larger cities. However, about 6 years ago I was towing just west of the center of Denver on interstate 70 and was surrounded by tons of traffic. My Garmin kept "yelling" at me to take the next exit. Thinking that I had been this route numerous times and that I was actually smarter than some "dumb" machine, I ignored the yelling until traffic came to a total stop. At that point I looked at the screen and realized that Garmin wanted to reroute me around all this traffic - duh! From that point on I simply obeyed and I'm guessing that I saved at least 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour. Certainly made me a believer. Bill

We were going to do this but the chair kept falling into the hot tub. <grin, sorry>

We have been making our way around the National Parks and Monuments and enjoy camping there. A lot of NP/NM campgrounds have no hookups. At those locations we relied on our solar, 4 AGMs and inverter. It was also nice to have the larger propane tanks for the furnace, hot water and cook top. If you were going to camp at FHU sites those options are much less important. Mike

I ran across a nice little Aliner “expedition” trailer (AT tires, lift and a nifty 40mm ammo box for his grenades) for sale on Craigslist , and I immediately spotted this unusual mod on the roof...... Here is what comes from the factory.... The second vent faces forward, and that little factory fairing is there to keep the vent from catching air while towing, which would be very bad.... That makes sense, and when camping the vent opening will face downwards. .... https://www.popupportal.com/threads/roof-vent-lid-keeps-opening-how-to-secure.131136/ The upper pic has me entirely baffled. Is it intended to act as a rain scoop? I can’t image any way the rain cover baffles would seal in the closed position, when angled up at 45 degrees.... but the MaxxAir is a lot longer than the little square one, so it won’t clear the fairing or the solar panel in the reverse position. If this was an owner mod, I guess we can forgive him, but if a dealer installed it........ holy cow. Should I email the seller to tell him? I am serious. John Davies Spokane WA

The cost savings packages offer a discount for bundled options. Seems logical that removing an option from a package would also remove the discount so the shortest path for someone to get just the options they want is to just individually list the items from the package that they want. All the options in the cost savings packages are listed individually on the build sheet. Simplicity in specifications is the best way to avoid Murphy's law. 🙂

Probably the most useful addition we have made is the screen door 'assist' handle. Adds stability to the door, and certainly is easier to open and close the door.

FWIW - I really like my front basket. Were I you, I'd go with it, load out your truck and the Oliver as you want - and go to a cat scale - and weight it out. AS mentioned, you should have no need for the Anderson. I would save the $800. Good travels in your new Oliver. If you end up around the Mid TN /Lynchburg area give me ping- RB

I have a feeling it won’t be too long and you’ll be giving advice and sharing knowledge here. A lot of us were in you shoes not long ago. You are asking the right questions and doing your homework and are on the right track! Mike

Agreed, my suggestion was about checking the hitch specs, and proceed with caution, especially with the basket.

Thanks, Mike.. My tongue weight, Elite, cat scale, (2009?,) with partial black , grey, and fresh, loaded for camping was 420. Another good reason to skip the front tray.

I had no trouble towing my LE1 with my 2019 F150 without a WD hitch. But one day I was under the truck and I noticed the label on the hitch shown in the pic. Rated for 1160 lbs with WD hitch, 500 lbs with tongue. You might want to check yours, it could be similar. You may pushing the limit, especially if you put anything in the basket.

Thanks, John! You've lifted it, so you know better than I.

Im not really sure.. the old style basket probably weighed 50 or 60 lbs. My guess. Your rep could tell uou. The new one is probably 8 or 10 pounds more. The big thing is, what will you carry in it , and its weight, and why? One of my friends got one, carried stuff in it for a year or two, then decided it was inconvenient for anything but chocks and blocks. Sometimes a bit of firewood. You certainly have weight allowance for it, in the 10 to 15 per cent rule, but my personal opinion is it's awkward, kind of unattractive, and gets in the way. I use the tongue, while camped, to hold a 5 gallon water jug. Good news is, you can always add one, later, if you truly find it necessary. In 13 seasons, we haven't found a good reason to add one. Again, my opinion.

The solar controller is much like a regulator, insuring that your batteries are never getting too much "raw" power from the panels that will overcharge your batteries. It sends only the power you need, from your solar panels, to charge your battery bank. Like a charger, a solar controller will decrease power coming in, as necessary, and continue to step down as you leave bulk mode, accommodating other stages. Likewise, when it's dark or cloudy, your controller won't send power back to the panels. (Though modern panels have diodes to prevent this discharge, as well.) A solar charger is a necessary device between your solar panels and their fluctuating voltage input, and your batteries. Both our boat and our trailer have a solar controller, plus a charger for the rare times that we actually plug into shore power/ac current. That's where the charge controller steps in, doing a similar function, but from ac power, converting to dc to charge the batteries. Or, very simply, it's all electron magic...😀

Awesome truck!!! Congratulations! I understand the whole "new tech" thing, as our tow vehicles are older, too. But, the new vehicles have so many safety features built in. I'm super happy for you. You're going to love that Hemi. I'm baffled by your rep's insistence on the Anderson. I'd love to hear the "why." We've never used any type of sway bar or wdh, with our trucks and the Elite. Your tongue weight on the Elite will likely be around 430 pounds. That leaves 1000 pounds for you, your dog, and a whole bunch of stuff in the truck, looking at your sticker.

That puppy will not even know that it has an Elite I behind it! Enjoy the heck out of it! Bill

The Zamp Charge Controller is located between the solar panels and the batteries and controls the charge current from the solar panels on its way to the batteries. The Xantrex XC2000/3000 is an inverter with a built in charger. The charger portion would charge the batteries after AC shore power had been converted to DC. This is a different circuit than the Zamp product. So they are 2 different systems. And I hope I didn’t make it any more complicated than necessary. Mossey

Here is a load/ pressure chart I made using Michelin data. I plan to tape it to the inside of the closet door next to my Towing Checklist. Their info is published as a Flash page and it does not run well (or at all!) on some computers. Attached is a Word Doc that you can print and laminate if you like, or just insert the whole page into your Owners Manual. printed at 100% it gives a 5 inch long placard. Oliver-Michelin-Inflation-Tire-Chart-122017.docx BTW I have suggested to Matt Duncan that this should become a new Tech Bulletin. John Davies Spokane WA

We’re jazzed that the weather is looking great for our beach trip! Starting Sunday and returning on Wednesday. This will be our first time camping right on a beach so we are really looking forward to it. We’ve never been to Edisto Beach; Folly Beach further to the north has been our favorite. We don’t camp right on the beach there but the campground at nearby James Island County Park is awesome. Anyway I hope to post here again after this trip. Keep safe everyone. - Brian

Option one - use zip ties and attach it to the round pipe that the power jack head is on... Option 2 - as Frank showed in his Facebook Post, he simply attached with stainless bolts with larger backer stainless washers on the back side of the cowling for stress relief.

I think this is the raw data used for making the Table John Posted at the start of this thread about 2 years ago. *the data seems to match from 40 PSI up... Just putting it here in case the original data set get's lost as those tires are no longer put on Olivers...nor appear to be mfg in Canada.

A lot of what is standard on today's Olivers were "upgrades" when we bought ours. I think it's perfectly possible to camp and enjoy life in a standard Ollie. Probably the only upgrade we have (today's list) that I personally would find very difficult to live without is solar power. Our old school 200 watts and two group 27 batteries have made camping in remote places, without services, much more enjoyable, and less stressful. And, solar is one of the few options that's not a quick change. That said, you could just carry portable panel if you camp without hookups for a few days. And if you camp primarily with hookups, you don't need them at all, as Mike said. I, too, love agm batteries. But, if you're ok with the maintenance, they'll be fine, too. Today's "base" Oliver is a pretty sweet camper, in my opinion.

Hey all, spoke with OTT folks today. They said it is NO problem to delete the Anderson hitch, of course. They discussed the situation among themselves and also provided an "FYI" link about this topic, I haven't read it yet (busy, busy and all). But here it is. I think I'm keeping my basket. Because it's part of the package and I just don't see it as a big deal (pun intended). Even if I just keep firewood in it, or dog toys in a burlap sack, or road kill (hahah), or whatever. Have asked the OTT people the question posed above and will let you know what they say (re: typical tongue weight of Elite 1). My isn't this exciting? I get a truck and ask tons of questions and end up asking the OTT people to ASPLAIN to all of us some more things. It's like I have a gift for making things complicated. Yeah, I put that on my resume, usually, too. Heh. 😉

Aww, thanks Susan. I am a "writer" (among other things) but I don't write fiction. I tend to do whacked out "humor" -- which is of course super subjective. Very nice of you to say!

Well, you were right on that . The lower vent is also a fridge vent.

Do you mean this vent? If so, that's for the fridge.

None of the acrylics I have found match the Oliver window sizing. It wouldn't be too difficult to adjust the cutouts either by filling or cutting some more glass, but at that point you really have to hate the stock windows. Thickness from ~1-3 inches are supported, which should cover the gaps in the hull assuming there aren't other problems due to varying distances or motion.

Just want to tell you, I love your posts . . . . . . . Looking forward to more!

I believe Oliver is now installing the Maxxfan on 2021 models.

Bought one. Came in today. Snow and sleet squalls today, so maybe another day to install. Hate wading through deep snow to knock the snow out of the plug and turn off the "ghost" lights.

We found a magnetic whiteboard calendar quite helpful. It is held on the closet door by Command stripes. Being on the closet door you see it every time you go in or out. Think we got it at a CVS for about $7. We can list check in/ check out dates and times, and local appointments. Also we can , with magnets', attach any paperwork the check in provided. That paper work will give us any local phone numbers we might need, ie; medical, owner, ranger, depending on park, and sites or places we might want to visit.

Thank you so much for this. I am really going to be asking some serious WHY WHY WHY questions of the OTT people on the phone in the morning. I am going to quote directly from some of these posts (no names, but the content and opinions and experience) and ask WHY I am being sort of pushed into 1) the Anderson and 2) the basket. I hate to be suspicious, but I am starting to really wonder what the deal is, ya know? Maybe I need to make it CLEARER to the mgr at OTT that my Tow Vehicle is a Ram 1500 Rebel 4x4 and show them the pics of the door stickers I posted here? I really will get some answers. And I will post what they say -- and WHY. Thanks you guys. I hate feeling so ignorant and don't want to get things I do NOT need and which could actually make my experience WORSE in any way. I want to be well-outfitted, prepared, SAFE, of course. But not over-sold and carrying things I do NOT NEED. Gah.

Your rebel could probably eat my 2005 Silverado as a snack. Lol.

I was backpacking and one of these guys made me think I was having a heart attack. The thud is so loud you can actually feel it in your chest. It was one of the most bizarre experiences I've ever had.

https://tonneaucoversworld.com/p/undercover-se-tonneau-cover/ This is similar to our Undercover. It's plastic, so fairly light, but strong enough to stand on. They have many options. As do other companies. You'll need a bed cover, like the undercover, or something like it, to protect your stuff from the elements, and prying eyes. Since you're going to full-time, I'd discourage you from a fabric type tonneau. If you're getting the solar panel option, you won't probably need a generator that much. Think small. And light. This might work, too. Kind of like the flip back. https://undercoverinfo.com/undercover-ultra-flex

You can use my name. I don't mind. I don't know anyone, personally, who uses an Anderson, with a half ton pickup and towing an Elite. The last time I made that statement, someone did post and said they used one, but I can't remember the vehicle. With an Elite II, much heavier tongue and trailer weight, it would make sense. I'll wait to hear the response you receive. All ears.🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

I can vouch for the shower beer can holder, but it isn’t a Toolsie product. It is labeled Sudski and it was the first silicone wall product I bought. I found it on sale at Kohl’s and I had a coupon as well. I think it was about $6. Mossey

FYI, price drop on the Garmin RV 785 & Traffic. Mossey

Look at it this way - you had a built in level! 😁

I agree to a certain extent. Like I said above, I think they're still more of a niche product that work well for a smallish subset of owners. But that's all down to the cost. The advantages that Susan listed are real - hands down, they're better batteries. If they cost the same as AGM, no one would hesitate to buy them. But the cost is a big factor. I was able to justify mine because I bought my whole electrical system at day one, getting some discounts, the full tax credit, eliminating things from our Oliver order that we would have otherwise paid a good bit of money for, and deciding to forgo a generator. With all that, I spent an extra $1000 or so. To me, that was an easy call for what I got in return - which wasn't for just the batteries, but the extra solar and all the cool electronics. I also had the compressor fridge which was going to cost me extra amp hours, so the bump in battery capacity was more easily defendable. If I were thinking about it on an in-service trailer today - where I'd already bought AGM's, a generator & accessories, inverter, generator port, and was looking at a smaller or no tax credit, I don't know if it would be such an easy a choice. Even assuming that your current batteries are dead and have to be replaced, LFPs are still going to be $2,500 - $3000 more than just getting a new set of AGMs. For that money, you'll get roughly 1 ½ to 2 days of extra battery storage and a handful of extra goodies (which, let's face it, are nice to pad a list of advantages but on their own aren't really worth much). Is that worth the money? Maybe? It entirely depends on your priorities and how well your trailer has taken care of you so far. And it's that second part that's the key. I don't think that I've seen single post from anyone who's been disappointed at the battery life of their Elite II. Sure, people always want more, but the fact is that 200 usable amp hours is sufficient for the vast majority of owners. And for the times that it isn't, most people don't mind carrying a generator. It's maybe a different story for an Elite I owner, due to the limited battery space available - a much easier choice imo for them to opt for some LFPs. If I were looking at a new Ollie right now, and the LFP pro package, I'd probably pass. Not probably - I know that I'd pass, just because having done all the research and being comfortable that I can wire my own electrical, I'd want largely the same system I have now rather than what Oliver is offering. What Oliver is selling is fine, but I don't think it's the best, and for the same money you can get the best, provided you're willing and able to do the work yourself. The one thing I'd change, apart from getting a few updated components, would be that I'd probably go with Victron batteries today instead of Battleborns, just because the price of those has gone down and I wouldn't care so much about the issue I had at first where I thought I'd have to do my first trip using Oliver's electronics. Even then, I'd still have the issue of a somewhat undersized solar array relative to the increased battery capacity. So I'd probably want to spend more for a portable solar kit (and hope it doesn't get stolen), rewire my truck to charge from it (unlikely), or give in and get a generator. And I really don't see the advantage of having both LFPs and a generator. With a generator, you've made the primary advantage of the LFPs practically irrelevant. Maybe you'll have to use it less often, but the real pain of a generator is just having to carry it and its fuel around all the time. Plus you've paid $3000 more for batteries and then another $1000 for a generator that you're hoping not to use. How many times do you have to be able to go without a generator to add up to $3000 worth of convenience? To me, this is all very similar to the debate about compressor vs absorption fridges. No doubt, one is better than the other; but the lesser of the two is still fine. If you can choose the better without great cost or trouble, then do so. But if it's going to cost a lot of money or be a pain to retrofit, then I think justifying it is going to be entirely an exercise of exaggerating to yourself the advantages of the one and the disadvantages of the other. That, or be comfortable with the fact that you're doing it just because you want to. Which is fine - I have a number of those projects under my belt.

It is clear that some of you have a very strong electrical background, but I needed some refresher to better understand these lithium battery discussions. So I’m going to try and re-phrase what I’ve learned from this discussion and Oliver. And, cutting to the chase, I’m rethinking the value of the lithium pro package. Perhaps this summary will help others. Warning: long post. Electrical current can be described with this formula: Current = “I” (amps) = Power (watts) / Voltage (V) By example, the current 11,000-btu A/C draws about 1,100 watts. If plugged in to 120V shore power, the current to run the A/C is 1100W/120V, or about 9.17 amps. If, however, the A/C is run on inverted 12V power, the draw is 1100W/12V, or about 91.7 amps. Thus, an hour’s worth of battery-powered A/C would discharge the batteries by about 92 amp-hours. Actually, the discharge would be a bit greater (about 2 amp-hours), because the inverter uses about 2 amps to do its inversion. After this hour of cool air, the batteries could be recharged with shore power at 120V, solar gain at 12V, or (at least theoretically) the tow vehicle (at 12V). Several people have commented that tow vehicle provides very little charge through the standard 7-pin connector, because the wiring is too small. LifeBlue described a TV wiring modification to provide a greater charging current, but others (e.g., Overland) have questioned the ability of newer alternators to supply this current without damage. Absent TV modification, this option is out. With shore power, the controller is set by Oliver accept a charge current of 100 amps. At this rate, it would take a little less than an hour to replace the 92 amp-hour charge after using the A/C with battery power for an hour. The battery could be recharged with solar gain, but this would take substantially longer. With an average gain of about 120 amp hours (see Overland’s solar availability chart posted 6/15/20, using May Wyoming/Montana values), it would take almost a full day of charging (~120 amp-hours) to make up for an hour of battery-powered A/C use. The battery also could be charged with a generator to replace the draw of an hour’s worth of battery-powered cool air, but this, for some, might defeat the purpose. Nontheless, a 1000W generator might replace the 92 amp hours in about an hour (at 100 amps/hr), and a 2,000W generator would do this same job in about 30 minutes. (as an aside, I just checked the Honda 1000W and 2000W generators on Amazon: the 2000W unit is 10 lbs heavier than the 1000W version, slightly quieter than the 1000W unit, and only slightly more expensive. Other electrical uses are also drawing from the battery. This includes lighting (about 7 amps with everything on), electronics (camera, wifi, cell booster, tank monitor) takes about 5 amps, water heater uses about 5 amps, and both vent fans might pull up to 9.5 amps. The inverter takes about 2 amps when in “invert” mode and about 0.4 amps on standby. A composting toilet fan draws perhaps another 1-2 amps. The furnace draws electricity to run. My point is this: an average solar gain of about 10-15 amps on a moderately sunny day, with the trailer in the sun for perhaps 8 hours, will be just enough (or maybe not quite enough) to make up for regular daily uses. There’s not much solar gain left over to recharge from battery-powered A/C use. Similarly, on a series of cloudy days in (as is common in the Pacific Northwest), or when parked in shade, the solar alone could be insufficient for even basic uses over a period of time. Question: does this reflect your experience? So now I get it: this is the reason that folks carry generators (which I’ve always avoided). My hope for the lithium pro solar package was that it would reduce the need for a generator, and perhaps provide the occasional 30-60 minutes of A/C during a hot rest area break. But without generator or shore power (or modified TV power), it’s hard to see how the solar system will keep up with even occasional A/C use. It seems that after spending a premium for lithium pro system, the weakest link could be the solar charging capacity (i.e., need more panels). And if a person is going to carry a generator anyway, might not the 2000W inverter and AGMs be sufficient? Thoughts, anyone?

I never felt the want for an Class A, B, or C motor home, freedom of use with a TT just works better for us. Motor Homes I feel tend to cost more to own and operate, I'm sure this is debatable for many, but that's just how I see it. The freedom of having my tow vehicle to travel from the camping site to where ever we wish to go I feel is a big plus, yes you can tow a vehicle behind your motor home, but the additional cost of fuel, etc. I also look at resale on everything I own and a motor home is probably one of the worst investments you can make in life, I seen many friends just throw away money by the ten's of thousand and wish they had made a different decision up front. The fiberglass TT market has always been a good one, or it is at the present time, I wish I had a parking lot full of Casita's to sell, we sold our two years old for $200 less then we paid for it, I also feel the Oliver will have great resale value if the time comes we want to sell it. All being said, for me it's not so much the money, but just making good value decisions and return on your money, plus getting a great product to enjoy. trainman

I am sorry that I am such a nerd😮. An SME is a subject matter expert. At work that Jokingly applied to anyone that had any experience with anything the was new in our work environment. So the first person to figure out how to clear a paper jam in the new printer was the office SME. In this case AndrewK was the first to complete this modification, thus he now has the title of SME. Mossey

We used a simple test once to determine if the leak was from the third light... Ugly white duct tape around the third light told us that was, indeed, our leak source. Now, resealing that spot is a check point... if the third light leaks, you will usually have water in the overhead cabinets, but not always. Somet, it will just run straight down the hull, as it did for us, and look like a window leak. Hope that helps. Sherry

Exactly. I unhook the HDMI from the Furrion and hook into my iPhone. My iPhone then provides the video to the TV. The TV provides sound to the Furrion via the RCA cable. I put an HDMI splitter in the attic above the TV. The HDMI from the Furrion terminates at the splitter. On the other side of the splitter I have a short HDMI cable into the TV. The splitter provides the spot to insert my iPhone. Mike