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For my money JD hit it squarely on the head - emergency should be the only reason to get agitated. - What your in a hurry to go sit in your flipping camp chair? please. But - todays cultural norms lead to very different expectations - me, me, me ,me..... Somewhere in Idaho- a very curvy and tight CG, a fellow in a very large MH was stopped squarely in the middle of the one way road. I waited a few minutes, nothing, I got out asked what was issue - MH would not start. I couldn't help, so my only recourse, back up to somewhere I could turn Ollie and me around. Getting upset had no benefits. Another time in Glacier - as I pulled up, and backed in to a site -- that the guy behind me thought was " a not gonna happen" - I nailed it first try (whew) he gave me a ovation. and they all went on their way. I am sure they were all groaning at first glimpse. Cindy and I continue to improve in the backing and parking phase - sometimes it is great sometimes it is not. We do our best - and try to give others the benefit of the doubt . I have a phrase for the impatient - but it is not for this forum. As Tony Horton says - do your best - forget the rest. RB

We make it practice to always try and just be patient and just decent. Cooler heads will always prevail. We had a situation last year at a CG where we pulled up to a site we reserved and it was occupied. The couple had just completely set up unfortunately at our site. We greeted them both nicely and showed them our res on our iPhone. He checked his res and said…you are right. The guy was super nice and apologized and I offered to help him move which he declined. We just patiently waited for them to move to their site and actually got to know them a little and really we enjoyed each other’s company. I mentioned to him later that was the quickest most efficient move I had ever seen. We both got a chuckle. I don’t think his wife was very happy with him at first, but it all worked out. I don’t always have the unrealistic expectation that things will always go super smooth, but decency and respect go a long way in my experience.

Here are two pics. Taken while on power. Should be raining tomorrow, and we have a great deal of shade around use this weekend, so not sure about any good solar.

Some folks may be impatient, like said earlier if I'm already backing in, I continue backing watching Debbie give signals. One time I was trying to back into a campsite I already paid for on line, but our name had not been placed on the site post. Another couple was standing on the site when I started to back in, they wanted to camp on it with their tent. Got out and told them I already paid for it and to talk to the Ranger with questions. They eventually left after a short discussion. Yep, when taking check rides for different pilot's certificates and ratings, sometimes the examiner would try to distract you during the preflight walk-around and cockpit checks. I learned to place my finger on the last completed checklist item and stop everything I was doing until the distraction stopped, then continue where I left off. Like Mike said, it's difficult to talk to folks during certain operations.

Another thing…. several times, while I was backing into my site with Carol back there guiding me, I’ve had someone come up to the truck and start asking me about my Oliver. Normally, I’m happy to talk about my trailer - but not when I’m trying to back in or when I’m dumping, hitching, unhitching, etc. I try to be polite, but…. 😤.

The ONLY valid reason for being pissed off at having to wait for somebody to maneuver is a medical emergency. In that case the driver should get out, explain the urgent need, and ask the trailer owner to make room ASAP. Or, if you can, just turn around, put on the hazard flashers and drive slowly out the other way. I recently watched a guy take twenty minutes to get his way oversized trailer into a “way too small” spot. I was sitting in my chair, and several cars ended up going out the wrong way on the one way road. (Nobody bothered to turn on his flashers.) It is aggravating for everybody involved. I thought about going over to ask him about his trailer. 😬 OTH this was the same CG where it took me that long to get the coupler hitched back up because of the radical angle. One day you will be “that guy”. Count on it. John Davies Spokane WA

Yep! Most of the people in camp grounds are there to - camp? When I camp I certainly have a bunch to do - make the fire, make the meal, go for a hike, catch that last fish, lay in the hammock, drink that adult beverage, and the list goes on and on - it just never ends! The gall, the nerve of some people making me wait for them to back into a site! Don't they understand that I've got things to do which are certainly much more important than their backing safely into a site? Courtesy? Politeness? Concern for my fellow human? Nah - I've got "really important" things to do.😬

There is a fuse (30 amp I believe) inline between the Zamp controller/charger and the batteries (John Davie's diagram above shows them). When we picked up our brand new Ollie last November, we had NO fuse in the holder, so the Zamp was lit up and appeared to be working, but the missing fuse prevented it from actually charging the batteries. I put a fuse in and everything worked fine. From reading this thread, I'm not sure if anyone has checked that fuse? It's worth a check if you haven't.

I ran a NF campground and it's courtesy to allow time for people to get into their site, but everyone is usually running late and in a hurry to get to theirs on a Friday. Unfortunately, many of the campgrounds built in the mid 60s weren't meant for the monstrosities people tow now days and a lot of jockeying is sometimes required. (I still have nightmares over the ruts created! Sometimes I would allow people to come in the opposite direction on a one way to help facilitate an easier backin...with a golf cart assist. I was always amazed how many people wouldn't tap or kick down their ruts! But, sadly there is always a few people annoyed having to wait.

Glad that was it. It took me a while to figure it out. When checking the Blue Sky display make sure you discharge any static electricity! Mike

Don't EVER let someone rush you - that is really when bad things happen. Usually a smile and a wave will settle things down a bit, but, having someone(s) watching you only adds to the amount of pressure that you may be feeling. So, the answer to your question is - it depends. Its all good advice from those above depending on the particular situation. Bill

I've waited longer than that for someone who was obviously new to back into a tough spot. Probably all of us have. And, most of us remember our learning curve, too. I would say if you sense an obviously impatient person waiting, and you've kept them waiting several minutes, go ahead and take that second loop. It might clear your head, and give you a different angle of approach.

We have an E2, hull # 701.picked up in mid December. Just trying our air conditioner for the first real test. As soon as it started up, we could hear what sounded like the impeller was in contact with something that caused a loud noise. Seems like the blades are still turning but contacting something they are not supposed to be hitting. I looked at the AC material supplied by Oliver but there is no model ID info. I tried to call the company directly but their initial phone message stated that customers needing tech support need to have the model and serial number. - does anyone know where to find that information? - has anyone had a similar issue and, if so, how did you deal with it? We are happy to open the housing to see what there is to see. Hopefully an easy fix but not sure whether to lift the shroud from the top of the camper or if there is a way to see the guts from inside.

Coffee, beer, wine, nachos, Cheetos, popcorn and donuts. If my wife is coming along then some other stuff. 😇

I retired from the railroad. Debbie and I use railroad train movement (lamp) hand signals, if dark with flashlight, for backing, move forward, and stop. If more than one person tries to give signals or person giving signals is out of sight, the Ollie movement stops. We don't worry about air brake application, hand brake application, and release air brake signals! 😁

Good News. I've got the 2020 GMC Sierra with the "invisible trailer" software. I talked to Mike in service and he said they've had a number of requests for an install of this GMC camera. The camera mounts on the rear tire cover so it's at the same level as the camera in the tailgate, then the cable runs through the hull and plugs into the rear bumper. Mike said they discussed it and now can do that install. My trailer is in production now, and will go straight over to service so they can install the camera. I already bought the camera at a GMC dealer and will FedEx it out to Mike.

You could offer, but most people will refuse. Different people use different methods and hand signals. Paul and I rarely have to speak to each other. We just use the same hand signals we've used forever. Handheld radios are great for many people. No shouting, one hand operation for the guide, and the driver will hear what the guide is saying without having to touch the radio.

Y'all would be amazed at the things I've seen! Two ways are always a great idea.. I've seen absolute divorces created through backing trailers! I've only been in one situation with my Casita that was tricky and stressful. I imagine the learning curve is going to be a little higher with my ILOVHER because of her added girth and height. Let's hope I stay married!

Provide assistance if you can.

Next UP - Setting Up the Truck to Power additional Electrical Items: After upgrading to the Lithiums for the Trailer, I decided to move 2 AGM's into the back of our Truck as campsite power. They will provide added power (210AH) to be used by our ARB Fridge, Compressor and any other 12V Electrical devices. To keep the batteries charged while driving I installed a Redarc 25A BC/DC Charger. In future I may put solar on the Roof of the truck to power the Redarc MPPT controller also to charge those 2 AGM's. (I also have the ProWatt 2000W Inverter I removed from the trailer that might be mounted later for Campsite AC Power.) Here's a overview of the installation. UPDATE - Mar 2022 - To show a Change. After 6 month on the road and constant worry about those exposed components, I rewired and place them safely on the back side of the mounting board. I added standoff spacers to give room for airflow, and left the Charger on the Outside where I can see the indicator LED's. The whole assembly can be removed with a few screws for access. CShort

We're just trying to learn as much as possible to make sure everything is functioning as designed. Thanks for your help & everyone on the forums. Chris

Thanks MIke! That totally did the trick. Now to read more from the other replies. Take care, Chris

FWIW.. from the folks that can't bring a quiet AC unit to the US market....press release. https://expeditionportal.com/dometic-acquires-zamp-solar/

BTW I should add that I came to my opinion while van camping and therefore pretty much never being the one causing the wait - I was always waiting. But anyone with even shreds of situational awareness and empathy will just look at their phone or talk to their partner or see what interesting radio stations might be out there to distract their impatient monkey mind for the very few minutes it's going to take.

If you are in the process of backing in and someone drives up, they wait. If you haven’t started then you should let them go by. You’ll get better at the backing part and most folks remember how it was for them and show patience. There are a few out there that don’t, they are the exception rather than the rule. Mike

Patience varies but generally my sense has been that my job is to wait patiently for even 5 or so minutes if needed. Even if I have places to go and people to see. IMO it's their problem not yours.

You can get the model info from inside the trailer - no need to get on the roof. Just pull the filter cover and look inside. There's a sticker with all the info. My guess is that if you're hearing it clearly that it's the internal fan. I can't remember if you can see it with the filter out, but even if not, you might be able to get a hand on it to spin it and see if that's the culprit.

Ralph - You might want to PM Patriot in that he recently replaced one of his "touch lights" to see if he has any pointers for you. Bill

Try Mike's suggestion first. You probably can't hurt anything (or yourself) with the telephone type connector communication cable. I seem to remember doing that back when we changed out our batteries. The screen went back to normal readout when batteries reached 100 per cent if charge, not immediately. But, if you are plugged into shore power all day, your batteries should likely be at 100 per cent. And, I wouldn't try any more adjustments or anything til you read the manual, and get familiar with your gear. You don't want to damage your gear, or hurt yourself. Are your batteries getting charged by the solar? You can read the present voltage on the seelevel monitor where you check grey, black, and fresh water levels. Understand that this monitor only shows present voltage. If your batteries are charging from the solar, not connected to shore power, in full sun, your seelevel should show something over 13v while charging, with no load/nothing running on dc. After sundown, it will settle down to something in the high 12, like 12.7 to 12.9. If the fan or furnace is running, you'll see a lower number, so check it with nothing running. It takes the batteries 15 to 20 minutes to settle down and show true voltage, after loading or charging. Bluesky/sunforge has a very good learning center with some very informative videos for your equipment. https://sunforgellc.com/learning-center/ You may want to start there to learn the terminology before diving into the manual, and then calling Ryan at Blue Sky for help. He's great, and very good at walking people through troubleshooting, but it will save you a lot of time to learn some of the basics of your system first. Ryan at BlueSky 760-208-2149 Email ryan@blueskyenergyinc.com. California, so Pacific time zone. Blue sky gear is very durable, and works great (ours is 13 years old, except for the new controller we added last year), but it's not as simple or user friendly as the Zamp, for example. But, once everything is set up and running correctly, you probably won't have to touch it for years, except to scroll through the information displays.

You and a whole bunch of RV newbies have similar questions, it can be daunting because your house is pretty simple by comparison. There are a number of good beginner books that cover EVERYTHING in enough detail to educate you, but not freak you out with information overload. Something like this one: RVs and Campers for dummies Check your public library if you want a free one. Read it in its entirety, then you can ask for clarifications about an Ollie’s systems, which are pretty standard. The only thing remotely unusual is the factory lithium options, but other manufacturers also are beginning to do this. My 70 year old sister bought her first RV ever, a tiny teardrop trailer with rooftop solar, last summer and she has struggled, partly because she is trying to make do with a completely inadequate tow vehicle, and she NEVER towed anything before, but she is now feeling a little more comfortable. But she still can’t back it, so she disconnects and moves it by hand 😳. Knowledge is power. Learn how stuff works. I STRONGLY recommend that if you have no previous towing experience, you should rent a small Uhaul trailer and haul it everywhere over a weekend. That will give you an idea of what it is like. Then rent a cheap “stick and staple” travel trailer for a week and take it camping. Some Ollie owners ignore these initial steps and unfortunately discover that they just can’t deal with their new rig and are forced to sell it after just a few months. John Davies Spokane WA

I personally use string trimmer line (STL) as a pull wire. It's slick and won't snag on anything, the tensile strength is beyond what most people could break with their bare hands and it has very little stretch in the lengths I use. Beginning on the roof, I would cut the connector off and wrap the STL around the old coax (for about 8 inches or so) and attach with electricians tape, then gently use a pull-pull, see-sawing method (takes two people) to work it backwards from the roof and into the trailer. When done, the old coax is gone, leaving the STL inside the trailer. Don't cut the STL from the reel once you have it completely through, just attach the new coax to the STL, again with electricians tape. That way, if the new coax slips off the STL during the pull there will still be a way to start over. You can pull the new coax back to the roof and reattach it to the STL. I would pull it through from the roof top down into the trailer, the same direction you pulled the old one out. When all is good (in place and tested) you can pull the STL back out and rewind in onto the reel. If this procedure is used in an area where you might want to pull future wires, I cut the STL somewhat over twice the distance to be pulled and coil up both ends and leave it in place. Saves a lot of cussin' next time.

My version of Houghton AC install. Start out by cutting 120 volt power to AC and 12 volt power to furnace. Next remove the plenum of the Dometic Penguin II on the inside of the Oliver. This will expose a group of wires that are in a black sheath, these are the control side of the wiring for the AC. These go to a LCD relay board that controls Cool/Furnace/Heat Strip that is mounted up in the AC. You will also see a metal electrical 4" x 2" Handy Box that will have the 120 volt power supply for the AC. Both sets of wires can then be disconnected and the four bolts holding the AC on can be removed, this allows you to remove the AC from the roof of Oliver. The Houghton AC will not be using the Dometic thermostat that's mounted on the wall because it comes with a remote but your furnace still needs the wall thermostat which works with the LCD Relay Board. I wanted to preserve my old AC with the LCD relay board intact for resale, so I purchased a replacement board mounted it in a plastic box. I installed it in the area where my tank monitor is with the access through pantry. Where I disconnected the control side of the wiring harness from the AC I then connected wires long enough to be routed back to the new LCD relay board that is mounted next to the pantry. I then connected those wires to the relay board. One other item is the relay board has a freeze sensor that needs to be hook up or you will get a error message. That sensor is mounted in the cooling fins on the AC, so I had a temp sensor left over from a refrigerator repair I did a while back and that worked as a replacement. The Houghton comes with a roof mount frame, this gets a sealant applied to the under side of it and that is set in the opening in the roof, I used Dicor Lap Sealant. The roof has a slight radius built in to it to help shed water so the flat roof mount frame will tend to teeter in the opening. I applied the sealant to the under side of the outside mount frame and put it in the opening with four bolts in place. Then I put the inside mount frame in place and hand tightened the nuts with very little force. This assured me the all was lined up properly. I smooth out what squeezed out by dipping my finger in water and forming a bead around the frame. I let this sit for 24 hours before installing the ac. When I torqued the bolt to 9 ft lbs I looked up on top and saw a couple spots where my formed bead had some small bulges but I'm satisfied that I have a good seal. I made the 120 volt connection to the AC with waterproof connectors and discarded 4" x 2" Handy Box so I would have less obstructions in the air passageways. I also used aluminum foil tape to smooth the transition between the two mount frames. As a sidenote halfway through the install I thought of a different way of doing the wiring for the thermostat. If a person replaced the LCD thermostat with a older manual style you could do away with the LCD relay board. If you look at the first picture that shows a group of wires that are in a black sheath, these are the control side of the wiring for the AC. In that group of wires there are two blue wires one with a white stripe. The one with the white stripe is hot 12 volts DC and the solid blue is the wire that goes to the furnace relay board. So re-allocate the existing thermostat wires by doubling them up ,two of them hooked to the solid blue and the other two hook to the blue with the white stripe. Then at the wall hook the two thermostat wires that are hooked to blue with white stripe to the power in on the new manual thermostat and the other two to the power out. The reason I would double them up is because of they're small gauge. This would do away with having to pull wires and using the LCD relay board. Also save you having to toggle through the unusable modes (heat strip, cool) on the LCD thermostat to get to the furnace mode. I am very pleased with the sound levels of this AC, you can easily have a conversation between two people without any difficulty of hearing each other. Plus it also has heat mode and dry mode. I should have done this write up sooner when it was fresh in my mind. Oh well. Paul PS I also installed the Micro Air EasyStart. I wanted to ensure that my Honda 2200 would be able to start the AC from eco- mode. You can see from the pictures it was very tight space to mount the unit. The captured inrush amps before installation was 67.1 and 48.9 after install.

You need to remove the roof shroud and look for the model and serial number information, it should look something like this one (this not an Oliver AC picture): It is too bad they didn't write it down, you should have a page with all the appliance models and serial numbers. I don't have a clue about the fan noise, you can run it while the large cover is off, don't get hurt, watch to see what is happening. With power turned OFF you may be able turn the rear fan by hand to feel for binding. It may have a screen over it. The front (compressor) fan is going to be hidden by a cover. John Davies Spokane WA

Another thing I did was take an aluminum telescoping handle (like for painting or scrub brushes) and drilled a small hole in the plastic tip and screwed in a "J" hook. This can be used for pulling out the crates or other items from deep within the compartment. I also use it for pulling items out of the bed of my pickup truck without having to climb up and under the hard lid since it can be extended and collapsed as needed. Very handy and cheap.

Your install look great, I've given much thought to installing a paper towel holder and I think I going to look for a paper towel holder that has a little larger mounting base, I think I will use double sticky tape, I have found that using this tape and sticking to fiberglass is almost impossible to remove easily. Plus if I was to permanently mount it the wife would want it somewhere else next week. trainman

You should be very proud of that design. Frankly, I think you've added something important to the Oliver community. Not only is your trailer beautiful, but as far as I know, no one has thought of doing a wrap on the entire trailer before. It's a fantastic idea and I strongly suspect that you won't be the last person to do this. Like you say, the design potential is infinite, and equally important is that we now know that there's an easy way to get a custom color on these trailers without painting or asking Oliver to revamp their production line. In fact, I could see Oliver getting into the custom wrap business just so they can offer different colors. I'd love to see some close ups of how the wrap works around tight areas, seams, corners, trim pieces, etc.

a bit of commentary, no need to respond, but this explanation is a bit therapeutic for me:) one of the unfortunate side effects of social media is the open vulnerability of posts/pictures to conflicting opinions. i was and still AM so excited to have had this wrap designed and installed for us. the wrap is a purely personal and custom work of love for myself and my family. i don't normally post to facebook and our account is actually a requirement in order to have a facebook business page (for our ice cream store). the posted album was an easy way to share the wrap with friends, who excitedly shared with their friends (including the oliver travel trailers' own facebook page)...but alas, one comment made me cry a bit inside, like a punch to the stomach: "oh! how sad (with an accompanying crying frowny emoticon)". i think the person thought i permanently disfigured my oliver??? well the answer to that thought (if it was thought?)is no... for anyone interested, the vinyl graphic idea originated with me seeing pictures of the 2 custom ollies painted black and red early on in production. i asked anita and the sales staff about options for color and they mentioned it was too costly an option to offer so instead i asked to leave the stripes off of the trailer and leave a blank slate. i did some research on after market options for color on the trailer, initially focusing on painting of fiberglass. very soon i found the option of vinyl wraps being a much more viable and reasonable solution. my first thought began with a simple different exterior color but as i continued with the research i discovered the infinite possibilities of a wrap, not just on the exterior walls but over the windows as well! fyi, the wrap is completely removable, partially or in entirety. the design we chose is completely personal and we love it, but i just wanted other oliver owners out there to know that other colors on your own oliver are possible:) this forum has been and continues to be a great venue for sharing and introducing ideas for completely novel and personal modifications and i thank everyone here for that! also side note: i'm researching the option of wrapping the interior window shades a bright white as an alternative to the spray paint. will let you guys know what i find out. thanks so much for letting me get this off my chest - yes ignoring other people's comments is an easy thing to say, but not so easy (for me personally) to do:) love you guys! tina