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Its the kids bikes - for sure. Us grumpy old men and all. Blue tarps, older vehicles - well there was a time when I practiced tarpology, in fact - I have a PhD in Tarpinism. WW kayaking is camping way back in, with lots of cool gear , usually when it is raining, has rained, or is in the forecast. Tarps bring back good memories.... I hate to admit - fondly - there may have been a party or two, maybe some imbibing, and perhaps a lullaby or two wafting through the trees. But, as I look back, there was rarely anyone else around but us nut cases, with plastic boats, breaking ice to get in our gear. Ahh, that's why I like boondocking - the memories. And big campfires, Was usually plenty of downed wood to choose from. Smell, what smell. Certainly not the musty, moldy smelling, wet, polypro hanging on the bush, drip drying. Ok, your right, I'm a little grumpy these days. - its those darn kids and their bikes. But if you spy a a yellow n purple Kayak, laying next to an Oliver, shoe horned into a spot, near a swiftly running creek, or river - It is probably me - sans a blue tarp. Good tidings all.

Polly and I are recently retired Health Care workers from Saint Michaels, Maryland and we've decided to try the travel trailer life. We've done some sailboat cruising and see some similarities in the lifestyle. March 31 is the delivery date for our Elite II. Our TV is a 2018 Toyota Tundra with 5.7L and tow package. I have found this forum to be a great resource for information and have read it daily for over a month. I look forward to our new adventure and hope to meet some of our fellow Ollie owners along the way. Cheers, John and Polly Lacoco

Mark, Here are some pics I just took. They do show a sleeve that the bolt goes thru and a bit of grease seeping out at the ends. I included a shot of the instruction sheet that came with the kit from Dexter. There are some improvements that could be made to this arrangement. Please let me know how it turns out and if you have any question for me.

Bath vents are easy to deal with. Just reach in and rip them out - all fixed. The kitchen vents you might want to be more careful with, but those are easy, just use a router and the cabinet walls as your guide. You'll have to be a little careful with the front cut. You can try to use the cabinet trim as a guide, but it flexes, so I held a 2 x 4 tight to the lip of the trim and used that instead. The result is a nice clean hole, big enough to do most any repair or modification you'd like. The one under the sink is that same one Oliver will cut if you ever need them to reattach your fresh tank overflow. You'll of course want to cut some ¼" plywood to screw down over the holes. or anything that bumps out of your drawers while traveling will end up who knows where.

Given the recent price drop on the Garmin 890 I bought one. Even though my old Garmin (nuvi 2797) has a 7 inch screen I thought that the 8 inch screen of the 890 plus the added RV related features available on it would really help me since most often I tow my Oliver solo. Upon receiving the new unit I found that the advertised features are, indeed, what they say they are - really very nice. The touch screen also is better than previous models I've tried and both the Bluetooth and WiFi functions performed without a hitch as does the trip planning and all other features I tried. The nuvi 2797 is attached to whatever mounting system via a 7mm ball and socket. However, probably due to the overall size and slightly increased weight, Garmin has gone to a 1 inch ball and socket (Garmin says 21.83mm but the one inch is close enough). That meant that I could not use my "bean bag mount" unless I obtained a new mounting arm with the larger sized ball. In looking at this more closely, I took the 890 out to the truck (and car) and found that even though the new unit is only 1 inch larger, it takes up too much of the viewing area when looking out the windshields of both the car and the truck (2017 F150). I've never been a fan of those suction windshield mounts and found that with my old GPS supported by the bean bag mount it was at a good level without obscuring the windshield too much, but, the 890 is simply too big. So, the issue was/is with the slanted (towards the interior) "storage tray" that is in the center of the dash on the Ford, how could I mount this 890 so that it "cleared" they top of the storage tray and still could be lowered so as to not obscure the windshield too much. I believe that the answer is to install the dash mount rack made by Builtright Industries. There is an installation video on their website and it should be a fairly simple process to hardwire the GPS and maybe even a USB port at the same time of the install (think cell phone here). With the addition of a simple RAM mount extension arm I will then be able to slightly lower the large screen while at the same time get the screen placed just a tad closer to my normal seating position. If anyone has a better idea - please let me know! Bill OffroadAlliance.com currently has the dash mount rack on sale at $38.25

“When you add a trailer to the mix, that range goes way down. Fenske details a couple of hypothetical trailering scenarios for a Model X in this video. In one, he simulates a family taking their Model X on a camping trip, driving 100 miles up a 1-percent grade at 75 mph. Factoring the 5500-pound weight of the Model X itself, plus 500 lb of payload and 5000 lb of trailer, increased drag coefficient from the trailer, rolling resistance, and gravity, Fenske calculates that 100.4 kWh is needed to make that trip. In other words, you'd need to recharge to make it.” https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-technology/a30121167/electric-car-towing-range/ How about a 30 mph headwind, on a hot day with the AC running inside the X? Oops. You had better hope that you can locate a safe turnout on the shoulder to pull over, and that you have enough juice left to run your emergency flashers while you attempt to summon two tow trucks, one for the X and one for the Ollie. “No Service. Darn it.....” Now what do you do? https://www.torquenews.com/1083/aaa-temporarily-stops-emergency-battery-electric-vehicle-charging-program-hopes-return-better-service John Davies Spokane WA

Russell, I apologize if I am befuddling you today? And Harbor Freight had a Blue Light Special on tarps last week or maybe it was Kmart. Mossey

I was busy adding more projects to my to do list.

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of ventilating the battery box with cabin air rather than trying to heat it. I'd think that a small computer fan would do the trick at very low electrical cost. This one is easily big enough, but only draws 0.2 amps - connect it to a nice louvered vent on the cabin side with 3" duct. I'd have no problem running that all night, if not 24/7, and I'm sure you could find a better sized, more efficient fan with minimal research. I use a similar fan in my fridge to move the air around, and I just turn it on when we're packing the fridge and turn it off when I clean it out at the end of the trip. Its power consumption is a rounding error in the battery monitor.

I'm using your idea from a similar discussion on another thread - thanks! I'm in the process of routing a 3" rigid steel duct down the street side all the way to where it meets the foot well from the dinette. I can't get by there without removing the black tank drain as you pointed out. I want the benefit of the furnace air on that side (just as the other side gets) just to prevent freezing in some of those trouble areas, help keep the batteries warmer, keep my bed warmer since my wife quickly figured out which one was warmest, etc. Inefficient ducts (I'll strategically put holes in the 3" steel duct and cap the end) down both sides will make the Oliver truly a 5 season trailer capable of keeping me alive should I get stuck in a Rocky Mountain winter storm. As long as I don't run out of propane! 🙂

EDIT 12/16/20: see this thread for how to swap: .... https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4812-how-to-progressive-dynamics-pd4045-lithium-upgrade/ $168 shipped, no sales tax. I just ordered one, and I plan to order a couple of Lithium batteries within a week. ETrailer.com sells this for $211, free shipping, plus sales tax. Quite a savings. https://www.ltdrvparts.com/PROGRESSIVE-DYNAMICS-PD4045-LITHIUM-CHARGING-SECTION-PD4045LICSV-PD4045LICSV.htm NOTE: Later units are already lithium capable, I do not know an easy way to tell if yours is, other than looking right at your circuit board or possibly by calling Oliver Service... You have to remove the front cover (1 small square drive screw in the center, snaps around the outside) and check. Be VERY careful if you are connected to shore power, there are lots of live wires in there that could kill you. If you are at all in doubt, disconnect shore power and the batteries, and work by flashlight! Here is mine (Hull 218, April 2016 delivery): This was posted by another member, I edited it for clarity. This is a new Lithium capable board. Note the jumpers. Here is a wide shot of my unit, you must look at the board in the very upper left corner. It is easier if you just take a picture to look at. When I change mine I will post a full HOW TO thread with pics and info. “When” depends on when I get the converter part and the Victron batteries. I already have a Victron smart monitor installed, and the Oliver installed Zamp solar controller is lithium capable already. I hope this is helpful. John Davies Spokane WA

Just saw this... https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XX197GJ/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_8?smid=A176A93HEI2X0X&psc=1 Hadn't seen the price drop from $950 for quite some time. Get 'em while they're hot!

Welcome to the forum! Friends of ours used to live in your area. It's so beautiful! Sherry

Starshine, allelectricfamily recently did some youtubes and a blog post about their experience towing a rented airstream bambi with their x. The interesting part is their comparisons with towing their own travel trailer, an Apex sticky with comparable weights and stats. They found a significant increase in range with the more aerodynamic form of the airstream. They did get over 150 mile range at times. (Flatter land. They towed from Kansas City to Fairland, Oklahoma. ) They found a significant increase in range with the more aerodynamic shape of the rented airstream. The tongue weight and base weight of the bambi aren't much different from an Oliver elite 1. My guess is that an Oliver is at least as aerodynamic as an Airstream.

Job security for the brakes and transmission repair shops I am guessing.

I always wondered what the future Hot Rod folks were gonna do in a Tesla and e vehicle world. Seems there is life in the next 50 years for the old car guys... Is This GM’s Answer to TESLA? - YouTube

The math is interesting but none of the scenarios are the same (X, C, F) making it difficult to apply to real world scenarios. From the video, the conclusion I came away with is that you may need to avoid campsites that are >/= 100 miles away and have a constant 1% grade if you max out your cyber truck's towing capacity. And, no matter which vehicle you choose you need to be aware of the requirements to get there and back. Maybe a shorter trip with 2% grade would have allowed the Cyber Truck to return back home with a nearly topped off battery by using its regen capability?

Skalywag, Many thanks for taking the time to go out and get some photos. This is just another example of why the Oliver community is one of the best.

Low charge - No worries, they can put a charging station anywhere nowadays

You could maybe tow an Elite 1 for short distances, but no way is the Tesla model X adequate for an Elite II. Model X towing limit is right at 5,000 lbs. and a loaded Elite II will be well over that. And the payload limit is a problem as well. 1,300 lbs payload will be used up pretty quickly with the trailer tongue weight and 2 adults and luggage in the car.

A used or new ICE vehicle now while you are waiting for the Cyber Truck seems like a great option. The number of recharging stations and locations has been anything but static. With the eSEMIs coming, the network of pull through charging stations is going to expand quickly.

I also believe your tow vehicle must be matched to the trailer you’ve selected. Buy one that is just “adequate” and I promise you will come to regret it. You really can’t have too much range, power, or capacity.

I'd say that if you're choosing a trailer based on your tow vehicle, then you're letting the tail wag the dog. Pick the trailer you want, the one that fits your camping lifestyle, and if that means you need a different tow vehicle, then so be it. Olivers aren't disposable. If you choose wisely, your trailer will last a lifetime - your truck will not.

I think that by ordering the Lithium Pro package, you might be better off weight wise than with the AGMs and no inverter. Opps sorry. Elite 1

I forgot to ask, what options have you ordered? To minimize towing weight I suggest AGM batteries, standard solar, and the composting toilet only. No inverter and no microwave, it is a huge energy user when off-grid, no satellite dome, it increases drag! Those choices and traveling with an empty fresh tank will improve your range measurably. Add a bunch of heavy options and your trailer weight will go way up. The Elite is a little tank, small and quite dense, it is no 2200 pound Casita. John Davies Spokane WA

It is always interesting to hear from folks trying to push the towing boundaries. Where do you live - you mentioned camping in Nevada and Utah in an earlier post. Obviously the number and location of chargers is paramount. You need to fully understand that there are lots of places in the West where you will not be able to go, period, because even gas stations are in short supply. A (hoped for) 150 mile range is simply not enough. What about severe mountain grades? Have you considered the hassles of running empty and having to get towed from a remote location that any old gas or diesel truck would get to with “no worries”? Assuming you can even call out when there is zero cell service? Finding available charger stations where you can take an attached trailer is a whole lot of non-stop mental stress that will ruin the pleasure of being out camping. Getting rid of your stresses is important, that is why we advise roadside assistance coverage, a satellite communicator (out West), a more than “adequate” TV, and TPMS on the trailer. Lots less worries, more enjoyment. One thing you may not have completely thought through, how do you plan recharge your depleted trailer batteries? Surely you can’t tap current off the X without further reducing your range. Or do you plan to stay only at full hookup campgrounds, which is in itself problematic. Many National Parks and Monuments don’t have any at all. Your solar will help, but it cannot be relied on for a complete daily recharge. Are you going to bring a generator and extra gas? If one large enough to run your AC is mounted on the tongue cargo tray it will max out your tongue weight. A Honda EU1000i is light and would be enough for a couple of trailer batteries. Good luck on your X adventure, I hope you will post threads and pictures, I am sure there are a few people interested here. John Davies Spokane WA

I have always wondered about Amazon's fluctuating prices. They must have reduced inventory to an manageable level. And I followed DavidS's advice from a couple years back and created price drop alerts for Amazon products at this website. Mossey

I mentioned that I'm installing a 3" solid heat duct down the curb-side basement all the way to the dinette footwell in another post. I'll cap it off at the end and put holes in strategic areas to mitigate risk, for example near the outside shower plumbing. I'm also thinking about insulating the battery box as much as possible and putting the battery box "inline" with the 3" heat duct. As long as I have a few holes "downstream", hot air would flow through the battery box when the furnace runs. My solution is dependent on propane (and a small amount of electric to run the furnace fan). I'd love to have an all-electric backup. I like the idea of computer fans to suck air into / vent the basement (and possibly the battery box). That's further down the road for me though - I'm taking the easy route right now with the built in furnace. Maybe I can figure out how to make the furnace fan run without heating. When I put my thermostat on fan only, the A/C fan on the roof runs. Doesn't matter if I'm in heat or cool mode. 😞

The current Olivers have a different electrical setup than most owners are used to. What used to be the charger and distribution panel is now just the panel, while the charging is being done by a combination charger and inverter. But I believe that the post above may have mixed up the manufacturers. As I understand, the charger/inverter either the Xantrex Freedom XC or XC Pro, depending on your battery package; and the distribution panel is the Progressive Dynamics PD-5000.

Back a few years ago, I followed the adventure of this Canadian couple that towed an Alto Safari (very light teardrop) with their new Tesla X. This was before there was much of a Tesla charging network across Canada. They made it. Had a great time. https://teslaxcanada.com/ I wouldn't really expect very good range, towing an Oliver, with an x. However, I am still looking forward to towing with my Tesla Cybertruck someday. #250,000 something in the reservations. 😁

I really enjoyed reading this discussion and wonder if many opinions here have changed in the past year. It will be interesting to see what happens once the cybertruck is released and some real towing range numbers start rolling in.

Not for very far. 😛 Seriously, I don't know, but I hope we'd have heard about it here if someone was. There's a good discussion about the possibility of towing with the cybertruck here, and in that topic there's some general discussion about towing with other electric vehicles including the X. I don't know what the towing limits are for the X, but I'd guess that range will nix the idea regardless.

I'm worried! Please hurry up! 😉😁🤣

JD - Yes, I also stumbled across another mount that fits in the "slot" between the air vents and nav/control screen. However, it was basically designed for only one device at a time and the install was considerably more involved. As the picture you posted shows, it will not be difficult to get the Garmin to sit about half way above and below the front of the dash. This will still give access to the controls above the nav/control screen while also not blocking that much of the view out of the windshield - kind of picture the Garmin "ball which is centered on the back of the unit right where the RAM mount is in the picture. Bill p.s. when I purchased the truck in 2017 I immediately had window tint (street legal of course) put on the two side windows and a strip added to the windshield to aid in blocking some of the light and reflection from that large glass. It is much better than the 2011 model that I had and the front side windows now more closely match the very dark tint of those read windows.

Skalywag, My trailer has the brass bushings installed in the spring eyes but nothing between the ears of the rear hanger. Sent my pictures to Jason for comment but, he did not respond with a statement that the installation missed installing the sleeve/bushing. It would be great if you could provide a photo as I can use it to have a more detailed dialogue with Jason. Here is a youtube video of what my concerns are without having the bushing on the rear hanger. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y8vyIrodEw&feature=emb_logo I am new to trailer suspensions so I can't really say it is absolutely installed incorrectly. It might just be the new way of doing things to save dollars or that dexter has not seen a large number of failures to warrant a more consistent approach. I only discovered the issue when tracking down an excessive amount of squeak in the suspension and went to grease it. Upon seeing the grease just come out of the bolt, I realized something might be incorrect and started asking questions. Here is a photo I found on etrailer of a rear hanger for a single axle trailer that shows a bushing that would be a great improvement to the open bolt install I have. Thanks for taking your time to help a fellow Oliver owner out!

Retracting this suggestion. I just received an explanation from AndrewK. It seems Oliver can’t modify the door due to RVIA requirements for areas where batteries are stored. They can’t even sell the door without holes. Easiest option is plug the holes and insulate the compartment. Andrew was able to get some of the fiberglass hole plugs from Oliver.

Oliver will likely churn out more trailers next year than any year prior. When a trailer costs this much, word of mouth and reputation is everything and it cuts both ways! I have no doubt that Oliver will fully resolve all of the issues outlined. The process to prevent issues from happening in the future requires far more work unfortunately.

I'm really sorry to read your list of troubles. Most items should have been sorted out before or at delivery . The single axle should not make noises. Ours doesn't, even after 100,000 miles. I'm sure Jason and his crew will get it all sorted out, but it's disheartening, I'm sure.

Okay, there is no way to sugar coat this. The wrong hangers were used and your concern will be realized, on schedule. The only acceptable remedy is to replace these hangers. I'm confident OTT will be receptive to this.

Yep I caught my mistake right before you posted - Elite vs Elite 2. I’d hoped I’d deleted it before anyone noticed. 😛😊

QuestionMark, Thanks for the updates. As an Oliver owner, I apologize for the poor initial quality issues you have experienced, Us Oliver owners are more accustomed to promoting them, not defending. As for your items - Many of them are just unacceptable - period. We pay a premium price for these units - and although Oliver quality is above industry average, your experience is not. I could guess at what caused this poor performance, but that's Oliver's problem to solve. When you have a 6-8 month backlog, with customers clamoring for product, quality too often takes a back seat. Clearly, Oliver has some work to do, with 700 units - and growing - Jason and crew will need - yet, another building to repair the quality back in. Good luck RB

Thanks for taking the time to post your experience and letting Oliver know where QC is lacking.

You need to have your shackle bolts fixed, what you have described is not right or normal. All my wet bolts accept grease properly and all have bright cad plated bushings, so the grease squirts out to where it needs to go, between the moving springs and the shackles. Without a bushing the hole is open to the sky, as you discovered. Plus you cannot achieve correct bolt torque with no bushings, the nut threads will bottom out (damaging the nuts and the bolts) and the shackles can pinch the springs. As shown here, the bushings for the equalizers are pressed into those parts. You need to open a service ticket and have all your hardware inspected and replaced if necessary. At the very least all the nuts have to be replaced. If the shackles or springs are worn from contact, they also should be replaced. Oliver should pay for it. You can get a mobile RV tech to do it if possible, rather than leaving it at some idiot dealer. This is not something you should let slide at all, it needs to be correct. Ollies do NOT squeak and groan, it is a warning sign, a cry for help. The axle ubolts can and will bang hard against the frame, but the other parts, if greased properly, should be dead silent. OTH old style Andersen hitches can sound like the Spawn of Satan if the friction cone gets wet/ contaminated. Please keep us posted. John Davies Spokane WA

Hi Fritz, I use SensorPush Wireless Thermometer/Hygrometer for iPhone/Android - Humidity & Temperature Smart Sensor with Alerts. Developed and Supported in The USA. Have used them for years in many other applications. Love them. They can be calibrated if needed and if you have a wifi hotspot in your Ollie, for example, you can monitor them remotely as well. I'm using velcro to secure them in different places around the inside of the Oliver. I put one outside when camping or when parked in my RV garage, but they are not waterproof, so you can put it anywhere it's protected from rain, but can't really have one on the outside while driving or anything.

We’re taking it easy this year, and ordered a smoked Turkey from our favorite bbq shop. We figured they could use the business, plus it smells fantastic - may become a new Turkey day tradition. We also brought home some Pie Town pies from our recent trip. Gave a few to family and friends that we won’t be seeing, but saved the New Mexico Apple for ourselves. 🌶🍏🌶

With 10 days under our belt, I’ll give you a slightly different view. I’ve had 3 standard water heaters and this is our first Truma. We love it and wouldn’t go back to the standard. We can get up from eating, turn on the truma and start washing dishes with immediate hot water. When we are done, we turn it off. I believe that is much more efficient than our other water heaters. Then, after being off-grid, it’s nice to schedule full hookups for a night with a nice long shower. When we are in freezing weather, I plan on turning the bypass valve and dumping the truma which takes all of 90 seconds. No tools required. We did not get the 12v travel heater for that reason. Now, was it worth the extra $? For us, yes.

We’ve got the standard hot water tank. As JD says, it’s simple and I’ll add reliable. I’ve switched out the anode once in 5 years and replaced the on/off switch once (both easy to do and cheap). When we have no shore power the propane works well. Mike

Overland, I agree with your assessment of the current AC and DC equipment. We have discussed this change in previous posts and that is why I found this post confusing. mjrendon, My equipment is like yours. Maybe there will be some future clarification. Mossey

I may have missed something, but I thought Oliver had been using Xantrex inverters since 2015. Mossey