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Hi Sue and Joe. We hadn't checked the forum for a while and didn't see your post, so we're happy you spotted us as we pulled into Terlingua. We were also happy to show you the Elite 11 and think you'll enjoy seeing the standard model with two beds. It was nice to meet you and we'll see you again the next time we're in Big Bend, since we plan to return. Bill and Doris Longhurst

Just a quick note to anyone who builds one of these, don’t forget to winterize with RV antifreeze. We had some pretty cool weather forecast for our current trip on March 21st so we after we sanitized our water tanks and plumbing, we winterized our LEII and I used the transfer pump to winterize itself. David

🤔...songs about driving through Kansas. Yeah I have one. Also good for Oklahoma.

Actually I was hoping for more "Bond" music - 😉

I have completed most of my version of the transfer pump. Will receive Zamp outlet, Zamp extension cord, and inline fuse to finish the install early next week.

Statement in title appears in the 2021 & 2020 Owners Manual but NOT in 2019 and not in 2018 Owners Manuals and I would guess not in earlier manuals. Seems to conflict with the following statement which is in the same 2021 and 2020 Owners Manuals. " USE ANTIFREEZE SUITABLE FOR DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS. FAILURE TO DO SO COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH!!! " *********************************************************** In 2018 Manual the following statement appears . . . Note: Always fill the tank with clean drinkable water from a known safe source. Make sure to cap the water inlet when the tank is filled. Also, always fill system with a hose that you know is clean and is used only for this purpose. Any thoughts? . . . . . . . . .Legal Department stuff ? , BPA in tank plastic ? I was not looking for trouble, just minding my own business searching for FW tank draining info when I stumbled on this statement and it stuck me as odd. ************************************************* Screen Grab of 2021 Owners Manual page with the statement.

Here'a a fun project that provides you a backup 12v Pump for your Ollie. I bought a spare 12V Shurflo water pump to carry with me on our coming long long adventures around the US. I decided to build it into a water transfer pump that I could use for multiple uses and still have a backup pump. Some ways I can use this transfer pump: Transfer fresh water from portable tanks and bladders directly through the Oliver fresh tank port. (This is without using the boondocking port.) Use as a pusher pump for a bladder to the street side water port on the Oliver Use around the campsite as a portable pump for wash stations etc. Use as a backup pump should my main pump fail. Electrical Consideration: I designed this so it can hook it directly to the Zamp Solar Port on the side of the trailer as the 12V source. That SAE Zamp port has direct connection to the batteries in the Oliver. I wanted to make sure to create a fused connection, and also be sure to wire it to match the Polarity on the Zamp port. I put a matching ZAMP port on the pump case, and build the fused connection cable out of a pair of fused SAE solar cables. The fuze is closest to the Oliver's ZAMP port for safety. (Zamp also sells an excellent "replacement" cable that could be used for the project.) ZAMP Solar Port Polarity is reversed from typical SAE Connectors: Zamp wires their solar ports in a way that the + lead on the solar cable coming from the solar array is into the plastic covered end of the cable. (That's opposite normal SAE use. They do this to protect users from plugging into the solar array and touching the male exposed connector.) Here's a basic material list (if you want specific part numbers of connectors etc. PM me on the forum.) I bought all of the material from the combination of Ace Hardware, Harbor Freight and Amazon. Total cost $190.73 1) Case: $39.00 Apache 3800 Transit Case - : Harbor Freight ( Interior Dim: 14 7/8"x10 5/8" x 6 1/8") Fits pump perfectly bolted into the case without the bottom foam. 2) Shurflo Pump model 4800, $72.00 - : Amazon/RecPro 3) Inline Shurflo Filter Model 15-085-00 included with pump - : Amazon/RecPro 4) Basic Fresh water hose (white) - $17.00 : Amazon cut to use short pieces for pump connections and used the other pieces as the input side hose (with a rigid piece of 1/2" pex as the drop lead) and outlet hose with repaired male end connector. 5) Qty 1 - Inlet side Female Swivel Garden Hose Connector (barb connector style) $1.50 ea - : Ace HW 6) Qty 2 - Male Garden Hose Connectors (barb connector style) one used on outlet, one to repair the outlet hose. 7) Qty 4 - 1/2" stainless pipe clamps - $4.00 : Ace HW 8) Qty 2 - SHURFLO (244-2926 1/2" x 14 NPT x 1/2" Barb Straight Wingnut Swivel Adapter - : Amazon 9) Qty 1- Zamp Waterproof Solar Port - : Amazon 10) Qty 1 - SPARKING 6' SAE To Ring Terminal Harness Quick Connect/Disconnect Assembly & 10A Fuse + SPARKING 2' SAE Quick Connect Harness (this is to make the other side of the cable) - : Amazon 11) Qty 1 - Fastronix SPST HD 20 Amp AC/DC Toggle Switch with Weatherproof Neoprene Boot - : Amazon So here are some pictures of the finished project in the transit case. Case in closed ready for travel position: Case opened to show hoses and electrical connectors stored inside: Contents removed so you can see the pump connection setup: Hoses and electrical connectors shown beside case: Handle side shows DC connector (that matches the ZAMP port wiring) and on/off switch: Inlet side: Outlet Side: Assembly comments and learnings: 1) Pump body - originally I was going to mount it onto a pvc board but found that the depth of the transit case and height of pump worked out better if I could simply bolt into the case. I used 4 bolts with baking washers to secure the pump into the case. 2) Port locations - I tried to figure out a way for the ports to exit out the handle side of the box, in fact I bought some elbow connectors for the pump, but quickly found that they interfered with the closure clasps. As a result I went for a simpler straight side to side flow. 2) Electrical Switch Location - My initial hole for the switch ended up interfering with the closure clasp once the switch was installed and in the ON position. I decided to plug that hole with an automotive plug and move the switch mounting down a bit further. (See handle side view.) Pump Performance: 1) I used the pump yesterday to pump a 6 gallon container of my tank sanitizer solution into the fresh tank. The pump operated smoothly and the 6 gallons were pumped into the tank in 58 seconds. (The pumps spec is 3 GPM ...so it met that spec.) 2) I also tried the pump on the street side water inlet, and the pump would cycle on and off as I turned on and off the sink faucets. So another use is to hook it up to a bigger bladder tank external and use it as the main water supply. (*Note - The pump has a 55PSI max, and is factory set for 45 PSI working shutoff pressure.) The case stores nicely run the Oliver Elite II basement on top of my water filter holder. Possible upgrades: 1) I might add a stainless vent pair on the box so I can run the pump with the box closed. The vent would allow for airflow in/out and adequate cooling space around the pump body if running for a longer time. 2) Build a Zamp (SAE) to Anderson Connector so I can plug this into my truck power port's that I'll install this summer. 3) Try running this pump off of a small rechargeable 12v Lithium Battery bank. Make up appropriate 12v connectors. Questions and comments welcome. Craig Short Hull 505 - Galway Girl

I actually prefer Kansas to Oklahoma. Mainly because I've never found a good place to stop for the night in either OK or that top part of Texas, whatever you call that. I've always called it West Oklahoma. In Kansas, you've got the COE campground at Tuttle, and you can stay there and go eat dinner at Harry's in Manhattan, which is a pretty nice place. College town. I have no music to add to that. But here's something. Dizzy Gillespie tune, but I've been looking for the origin of this specific version for years. The only recording I have is ripped off this video, so if anyone can figure out exactly where this recording comes from, I will make you a cocktail at the next rally.

@hobo I saw this one on Costco website today, and thought of your thread.

We had the full service done in Feb. 2021 and were very pleased with the service. Even though our Ollie was only 7 months old we wanted to get on a winter rotation of yearly service and we had a few issues that needed to be fixed from our pick up in July 2020. We had 2 drawers that were not smooth operating and the access port cap on the curbside bed would not line up. The threads on the cap and the port were slightly warped and impossible to screw closed once opened. They replaced the access port with a new 2021 model port which is a quarter turn type closure. The service was all caulking, lubing valves, testing gas fittings, testing water connections and pump pressure, and axle greasing and repacking bearings. ( I may have forgotten something since I do not have the ticket in front of me) Our total bill was $1,138. We have had $70 bucks of shop supplies or other charges included with that. All of the warranty work was not charged. I am sure that a person with knowledge in the appropriate areas could do the work on their own and save the money. I know I am a great helper doing almost anything but not totally confident in doing something on my own, so it was worth it to me to have Oliver do the work. I did purchase a premium camper that I intend on using for many years and just figured this is an expenditure that is worth it to me yearly. I will say that I have read where some new owners have had some issues with quality and not pleased with problems during there break-in periods, and I fully understand their frustration. Sherry and I have been extremely happy in the quality of our Ollie. The 2 issues we had were fixed when we brought it back in and the time the service people talked with us was great. I will tell you the feeling I had when I drove away was not the same feeling I have when I have left other camper repair shops. Hope this helps!

Not near long enough!😄 For those folks in KS and OK - I'm only kidding. There is actually a bunch of beauty in those corn and sun flower fields.

I bought a backrest for my motorcycle. In the box there was a paper that stated the backrest was for static display only and not to be used to lean against. I guess that is one way to try and avoid legal problems. At least I didn't have to sign a legal release before bolting it on.

Careful what you ask for - I have something for every request. Since you put Bond in quotes, here are a few from my playlist of Songs that Weren't Bond Themes, but Could Have Been:

The manuals have always had questionable content, which appears to be bulk “cut and paste” from other sources with little regard for how it applies to an Oliver. In the 2017 manual the warranty section talks about dealing with a problem - “talk to the dealer that sold it to you”.... And the tires section is excessively full of generic technical information like sidewall date codes, tread wear and speed ratings, information that is readily available everywhere, but there is nothing about the correct pressure for an Ollie. And five years later they still have nothing about that item. Omitting detailed electrical diagrams in the last two years’ books is inexcusable! Sometimes I wonder if the folks who write the manual even own and use a travel trailer; if they did, the written guidelines might make a little more sense. John Davies Spokane WA

I'm certain that you're laughing at my very funny videos and not my taste in music. 😝 Here's an actual serious one -

Yes, when connected to shore power, that's exactly what I do - I turn off the charger at 80% or so and back on at 50% - which is several days since there's primarily lights and fans draining the batteries slowly. I figured out how to use the Xantrex 3000 software to turn the charger off and on. I know the BMS protects the batteries from overcharge, but being full all the time does stress the cells as well. If I know I'll be dry camping, I will top the batteries off, but I'll not keep the charger on (including solar) when they get back to 100%. I'm not sure if any of this will increase the longevity of the batteries significantly, but I don't mind doing it so far. Time will tell.

I spotted this OLIVER traveling on 285 near Decatur/Atlanta. Was excited to see my first Oliver rolling down a highway. Name and number on back was "Bright Star" #451.....wonder if it belongs to a forum member?? Happy Trails....

I agree that Prime is hard to beat, OTH there is no need whatsoever to drive all over the place to check stock, just about every major box store’s website shows current inventory or when it is due, and some like HD even show the isle and bay numbers, and if they don’t, a phone call usually gets the answer. And Walmart and others now offer free home delivery on many items. I am a huge fan of Prime, but if I can save $40 on a $90 purchase by driving a few miles, I will always do that, if it doesn’t take me out of my way too far. Some things are “Amazon only” which IMHO is really weird, I never understood that sales model. John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks to all who have thought about and raised the issue of Electrical System-Documentation. We love Hull#751 but there are a lot of challenges that I attribute to "Production Hell" as Elon Musk said about Tesla ramping production. I am spending a lot of time fixing, cleaning and chasing documentation which I expect from Harbor Freight but not from Oliver. Hopefully the trials and tribulations of us 'Early Adaptors' will pave the way fora brighter future for those who come after. Keep up the good work. . . . . meanwhile I have to go back to tracing down the lack of power to both the fans and wondering about the quick connectors being used.

We'll have no puns here, so tut it out.

https://youtu.be/nYXYfdsaHxg Phil Collins tune. Not for the timid. heh

And I had forgotten this one - squirrelled away on my puter thingie:

Anybody besides me looking to get out on to the "Open Road"?

If you didn't catch it from an earlier playlist I posted, I think some of you might enjoy Ocie Elliott, a singer/songwriter couple from Victoria, BC. They're another favorite of ours. And you can't help love that they record concerts from the back of their Honda.

I am sure the Timken grease is really good, and also really expensive. But it is still a regular lithium based product, with all the limitations that come with that kind of chemistry. If you are going to invest in a premium brand of lubricant, you should probably get the most premium one available. I have been using CV2 in just about everything for several years now, and I am not going back. I used to pay $14 for a dinky 3 ounce tube of special Phil Wood bicycle bearing grease, for just $2 more I get 14 ounces, so now I just use the Redline. John Davies Spokane WA