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Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/13/2021 in all areas

  1. Congratulations and I agree that is a cool hull #. I pick up #928 the end of next month, heading south early to attend Talladega and Charlotte Races beforehand. Best of Luck with your new Rig! Happy Trails. Dan
    3 points
  2. Spending our first night at the new Oliver campground in our amazing Elite II. Last September we toured the factory and made the decision that this was the RV we really wanted once we had retired this summer. The forum has been a great source of learning all about the Oliver Elite II. We are looking forward to many adventures and meeting new friends. So very excited!
    2 points
  3. My 2002 Casita Spirt 17' had an awesome Coleman that was still going strong when I sold it last spring. ;-(. When you have to wear AirPods to watch movies with AC on....
    2 points
  4. Here are some photos of the new Oliver Campsites - plus a bonus of Mr Quincy waiting to see his new home.
    2 points
  5. In my last conversation with Oliver Service about a broken hold-down band for the heater tank, they suggested no more than 60psi to reduce vibration issues due to a hard ride. I'm somewhere around 55-60 at this point.
    2 points
  6. David, David, The SS plates and hardware are a fine finishing touch on the rock flaps, great job!
    2 points
  7. “HOW OFTEN IS A SENSOR TRANSMITTING INFORMATION? This varies among manufacturers, but generally, sensors have different settings while parked and while in motion. The better question is what causes the sensor to transmit? When a sudden change in pressure is detected, the sensor should transmit whether the sensor is stationary or moving. When the tire starts to roll, tiny accelerometers cause the sensor to wake up and start broadcasting at regular intervals. In rolling mode, sensors transmit, on average, once every 30-120 seconds. While parked or in stationary mode, depending on the manufacturer, sensors may transmit only when a significant pressure change is detected. If a TPMS sensor transmitted all the time, a sensor would not last very long. Most TPMS sensors will transmit when movement is detected through a simple accelerometer inside. If the wheel stops moving, the sensor will stop broadcasting after a programmed amount of time. But once it is triggered, the sensor transmits on a predetermined interval set by the manufacturer. A sensor will immediately send a signal if it detects a sudden loss in pressure.” https://www.underhoodservice.com/tpms-radio-frequency-theory-and-operation/ Mine has screw on sensors, and when getting ready to leave in the morning I “wake up” each one with a couple of raps from my finger so they transmit today’s value, not the one from when I arrived, in case one of the tires picked up a nail and was quietly deflating overnight. I would much prefer to see that warning or low pressure reading in the campground than a couple of miles down a busy highway… and this is a great reason to NOT choose a type that installs inside the tire. You can’t wake those up except by driving away. John Davies Spokane WA
    2 points
  8. We're picking up #924 in less than 6 weeks. We would love to hear about your experience and see your pictures. We will live vicariously through your reports until we can get our own first-hand experience! Carl
    2 points
  9. Nice flaps, Patriot! It is always good to see what accessories others are using. This was a major concern for us, too, before we took delivery of our Oliver. After we placed our order it took some time to find what was right for us to protect our investment. We ordered and installed this "Rockstar Full Width Tow Flap" prior to delivery of R-Villa on May 17 this year. Now, after towing with it for 4,500 miles, we are thoroughly satisfied and would purchase this flap again. The fact that it affords protection across the full width of the truck is a big plus for us. The ease with which it can be mounted and dismounted cannot be overstated. The most difficult part of the job is getting down on my 71 year-old knees! Seriously, it takes about 30 seconds to remove the flap by removing the two lynchpins (on either side of the receiver) and lifting the flap slightly up and rearward off the mounting brackets. The flap will fit in the bed of my truck with one end low and one end high; we now have an ARE truck cap installed which is not shown in the photo. (The flap is about one inch too long to lay flat in the bed!) If we are camping with the trailer parked for awhile, I can easily remove this flap to save fuel mileage while we are exploring. When we are ready to hit the road with the Ollie, it is a snap to put it back on. Available at: www.agricover.com
    2 points
  10. I have not posted in a while. My Oliver family has had me very busy in the shop. We are getting ready to go camping and then head to Greece for a 10-day vacation. I will be suspending my crafting for the month of August and will start back up the first week in September. I plan to ship all orders through August in the next week. New orders will begin shipping in mid-September. Below is my current challenge, a 35” x 22” x 1.4” Lagun tabletop in black walnut. While this sounds simple, the challenge is in the weight. Lagun Table Systems have a maximum weight of 50 pounds. It includes the top and any items you are going to place on it. My target weight of 15 pounds for the finished top leaves 35 pounds for day-to-day use. The walnut blank I started with 35” x 22” x 1.4” thick weighed in at 29 pounds. I decided to back cut the bottom in three sections down to ¾” thick, with 1” wide edges and two cross supports. It came in at 15.2 lbs. Beautiful to look at, light as can be, and engineered to be strong for a lifetime of use.
    1 point
  11. In an effort to reduce any nicks or dings to the front of our Ollie we had 10 mil XPEL paint protection installed on the front corners, dog house etc. I also recently custom ordered a set of these “rock flaps” for our F250 Tremor TV from a fabrication shop called livelymachine.com. I just was not overly impressed by the other brand of rock tamers or rock stoppers that mount to the hitch for a number of reasons. These rock flaps mount up underneath the bumper directly into the receiver left and right side square openings on our F250 Tremor. A really nice fit and finish and very well made with aluminum powder coated tubing and all stainless hardware. Once mounted they are not going anywhere. If you are interested in pricing and shipping costs or have technical questions about rock stoppers please contact livelymachine.com. Cheers and Happy Towing!
    1 point
  12. Finally, we pulled the trigger and placed an order for the fabulous Oliver Legacy Elite II, expected delivery in April 2022. I imagine that we're like of a lot of the Oliver owners; aging baby-boomers looking to see this great country in style. We've never owned an RV. We rented a Class-A motor home about two months ago. We quickly figured out that driving an eleven ton particle-board-and-stapled rig down I-75 just isn't for us. We started researching travel trailers. My bride had her heart set on an Airstream so we went to the local dealer for a tour. Frankly, I was underwhelmed; the build quality was far below my expectations. There were several parked on the lot for repairs—mostly expensive panel replacements from minor dings. The next day we saw an Oliver. The Oliver isn’t built like a trailer. It’s built like a blue water cruising yacht. The solid construction, fit, finish and smart design put this travel trailer in a completely different class from the rest of the industry. The Oliver is robust; everything else is flimsy in comparison. We were sold the minute we walked inside. Anyway, we have much to learn. I’ve owned boats in the past (not the one below) but this will be our first travel trailer. I’ve been lurking around the forum for a few days, gaining some wisdom from you all. My wife and I will be at the mini-rally in Jacksonville in October. We hope to meet some of you next month. I posted these pics for comparison. The interior of the LE II has the look and feel of a cruising sailboat--not a travel trailer.
    1 point
  13. I have a Truma Instant Water Heater so it is different than yours. But there was a recent post about a water pump problem and there was a picture that I believe might help. Mossey
    1 point
  14. We had water intruding from the top of the window frame on one of the bed side windows, turned out to be coming from the porch light. Caulking around the housing was fine, but nothing on the screw holes. Sealed those up and that fixed the leak. Surprising amount of water from such a small opening!
    1 point
  15. We have a Tuson TPMS system with internal TPMS and it is installed in our LEII tires and spare and is very good. They provide a transmitter for the trailer if it is longer than 18 feet as I recollect. I installed it too. I was curious on how it reads the spare and was pleasantly surprised to get the info when the trailer is moving. I purchased the activation tool from them to ease the configuration for the spare’s TPMS which was purchased separately. The activator sends a signal to the TPMS that simulates a pressure drop. Alternatively without this tool, I would have had to bleed air from the tire. I opted for the tool. It ended up being important for me to use on the other TPMSes installed so I could get all the tires displayed in the right order.
    1 point
  16. We have a 2019 LEII and we found that the antenna for radio wasn’t connected. Once that was done, reception was better. We have the Omni antenna and it works really well although we don’t really use it much. I have scanned channels in many places to see what are available and have found the quality of the image from the over the air signal to be excellent.
    1 point
  17. There is another contender that I've talked about before, in this thread or another. The Coleman mach 10 NDQ is being offered in some winnebago vans, so some decent online mentions from reliable sources like James at fitrv, and technomadia. The ndq stands for non ducted quiet. I have not seen (or, at least don't remember seeing) db ratings. It's more affordable than the Houghton, I think, and definitely less than the Truma. You have to factor in the interior unit/adb, but its only $100 or so. (Houghton includes this. I think Truma does, as well.) The coleman can be purchased with their soft start already installed, which I would want, in a 13.5 kw unit. You may have to purchase heating unit, separately. I'm not sure. Theirs is lower profile, but still not small, like the smaller Houghton we bought. We really need that rooftop space for our unusual panel mounts to adjust. Honestly, we probably could have replaced our old dometic ac with a vent, since we use it so little. But, it's really nice to have it when cleaning in Florida heat and humidity, and on the odd occasion that we have a powered campsite. I've read posts on supply chain issues on those ac units, too. But you have time on your side . Winter is coming.
    1 point
  18. Thanks, John. I've read a lot of your posts and I know you put a lot of thought into this stuff. Also, I'm so glad you mentioned the foam. I was really struggling to get them all in the machine. I'm 200 lbs and they just won't compress! (That's a joke!)
    1 point
  19. Watch your TPMS and as had been said over and over - you really should have one. Any increase in tire temperature much more than 10 degrees above ambient temperature tends to indicate that your tire pressure is too low. Of course, one must allow for a number of variables such as load, amount of sun directly (or not) on the tires, type of road surface (black new asphalt will be hotter than "white" concrete), average speed, etc. Bill
    1 point
  20. Read that thread I linked to, in the post above. I am running 42 psi and that works fine. A harder tire will tow easier, it has less rolling resistance, and you may notice a decrease in mpgs if you lower the pressure from 60 to 40-ish. One way to look at it is by percentages. A drop from 80 to 40 is enormous, a 50% change. Obviously it will have a huge impact on how stiff the trailer rides. When you are close to the ideal range according to the tire manufacturer's load chart, you must do those adjustments much more cautiously. A change from 42 to 40 is still a 5% difference. John Davies Spokane WA
    1 point
  21. Mike, We have a 2017 LE1 and I have been running the OEM Michelins at 60 psig with TPMS temp readings that are very acceptable. The trailer handles very well and evidently smoothly enough where there is no mess inside to greet us when we enter after a long drive. Also, I did install the Dexter shackle kit which is a major improvement and now STD equipment I believe.. John is correct about the TPMS being a critical safety device and I second his recommendation. Terry
    1 point
  22. Geronimo John, that $2150 Australian dollars. About $1575 US. I don't think the Truma is available to us, yet. The Aussies always seem get the new gear before we do!
    1 point
  23. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2363-how-to-tire-pressure-placard/ The best thing is to measure your axle weight on a truck scale and go from that chart. 60 should be pretty close for an LE1. Keep an eye on tire temp, if it gets too warm that is a big indicator that the pressure is low. Do you have a TPMS? It is a critical safety device IMHO, especially with a single axle. Mine has screw on sensors, and when getting ready to leave in the morning I “wake up” each one with a couple of raps from my finger so they transmit today’s value, not the one from when I arrived, in case one picked up a nail and was quietly deflating overnight. That is better than having it alert you a mile down a busy highway… they take a while to update, since they just send out a brief radio signal occasionally, perhaps as long as a couple of minutes after waking. https://www.underhoodservice.com/tpms-radio-frequency-theory-and-operation/ John Davies Spokane WA
    1 point
  24. Great hull number! Please let us know how it goes and certainly what/how was the experience at the new Service campground. Have fun with both your relatively new retirement and that new Ollie. Bill
    1 point
  25. Another great week camping at Mountain River Family CG. We really enjoy this CG for the great location and the TLC the owners provide. They are campers and know what campers enjoy. It’s very clean, neat and just well run. The CG is bordered by the North Toe River which usually has plenty of trout fishing and tubing. The sites are a really a decent size and you don’t feel cramped. We booked again for next year and really are looking forward to our stay. A little venison sausage! From woods to table! A little quiet time fishing in the North Toe River..
    1 point
  26. Steve and Mary, congratulations on #888! Will look forward to hearing about your camping adventures - Mike
    1 point
  27. Congratulations! so happy for you. I hope you enjoy your Ollie camping adventures as much as we have. 14 seasons in, still love our little Elite. Looking forward to your photos, and impressions of the new factory campground .
    1 point
  28. K-n-J Welcome! Congrates on your Ollie order - April will be here before you know it and you have a bit of time to study in the Oliver University and ask a bunch of questions. I too will be at the mini-rally (site 117 - just like my hull #). Twist and I certainly hope that you two will stop by for a visit. Bill
    1 point
  29. Welcome Keith and Jill! Your journey sounds familiar, a lot of us became Oliver owners the same way you are. There are many experienced Oliver owners and RV-ers here to answer any questions you may have. Glad to have you on board! Mike
    1 point
  30. My Elite II is supposed to be delivered next March. Frankly speaking, I am quite nervous about what I just committed. I am not a handy person at all, hope the quality of Oliver will make my RV life easier than expected.
    1 point
  31. Congrats! We too are in queue and have passed the ENDLESS days going through all the Oliver University info along with lots of YouTube time. While arm-chair RVing is better than nothing, gaining some actual trailering experience as stated above is a great thing. You also have a great group of owners who are so willing to help - both here on the forum and on Facebook. We are excited for you!
    1 point
  32. Hi, June. Welcome to the forum. You have lots of time to learn about the Oliver systems, virtually, through the Oliver University manuals and videos, and I'd encourage you to do so. I'd also encourage you to visit with friends who camp, and/or, rent a camper to learn a bit. Everything is doable, but trying to learn everything, at once, can be daunting. Everyone is a newbie once. Later on, you can help others with your experience, when everything becomes routine.
    1 point
  33. Hi June, congratulations on your upcoming Oliver. There are a lot of not-handy Oliver owners. You may know that your home-on-wheels bounces around while you travel and issues will come up. The good news is that Oliver service fixes all kinds of problems and folks on this forum will go the extra mile to help out when things don’t work quite the way they should. If you have questions before your delivery in March be sure to ask! Mike
    1 point
  34. Greetings Oliver Forum readers! When our children were young we towed our pop-up camper on weekend adventures to nearby Southern California beaches and mountain parks. Now that our children are on their own and retirement is looming we are preparing for a new adventure as full timers. We completed the first step last week when we ordered an OTT. It was an easy decision since we were introduced to OTTs by Chris and Cherie of Technomadia years ago. When they were struggling with RV issues they offer mentioned how dependable their Elite I was during their early years as full timers. Recent OTT reviews confirmed their experience was still relevant. So we did a walk though with a local Oliver Ambassador and committed. We are excited to listen (read) and learn from all of the amazing resources on the Oliver Forum. Oliver Elite II, Delivery July 1, 2022 Tow vehicle TBD? Zach and Margaret
    1 point
  35. SeaDawg, Thank you for sharing your experience with Chris and Cherie. I look to them as mobile tech innovation leaders. I have learned so much from their videos. More than I can ever hope to put to good use. I followed them from their vintage bus to their ocean going boat and recently consulted their site for mobile internet access advise. They have been an influence on me and are a great resource for the RV community. Zach
    1 point
  36. Thanks Teri. That's quite innovative to practice like that. Your boyfriend is much more decisive than my wife. I am more like him. She mulls things over much more than me. I was hoping to order it very soon as there's about a ten to eleven month wait after placing an order as you probably know. Thanks for writing with your two cents worth which was more like at least two dollars worth if good advice. Congratulations on your purchase.
    1 point
  37. Here is my two bits (for what its worth?)- I started out in this rv world pulling a tiny camper that also hit near the extreme end of my towing capacity. I went ahead and did it. Once. My vehicle was at it's max "design spec" and acted like it. It's fuel range was at 150 miles. It was pulling its heart out. Stopping was there... but fortunately never had to really test it. I called a spade a spade.... decided all I was going to do was prematurely ruin a great SUV making it do something it wasn't really designed to do. This is not to mention the safety aspect that ... I have since come to realize was also border line. Towing vehicle weight, wheel-base, BRAKE power, tongue weight... and several other things, all were "border line". Anytime you are pushing a design spec to near its max.... you have to decide how long you really want to do that.
    1 point
  38. I don’t want to sound harsh but I’ve owned two Jeep Cherokees, a 2014 and a 2019 (both with the V-6 engine), and while they are great little SUVs, I think they would be terrible tow vehicles, even for the smaller Elite I. The payload capacity is really limited, there isn’t much room for carrying the typical camping gear, and the towing specs are marginal for an Elite I with any options or water in the tanks, food in the fridge and pantry, etc. And does yours have the optional Jeep trailer tow package with the necessary 7 pin electrical trailer connector port near the back bumper, and the 2” receiver for towing? If it doesn’t have the towing wire harness with connector already installed, that makes it really expensive and complicated to install a trailer brake controller.
    1 point
  39. One thing you have to consider is the maximum frontal area of the trailer. The Cherokees are limited to less than 40 square feet which pretty much restricts them to towing boats, popup campers, or maybe a larger teardrop. Assuming the numbers you provide for the Jeep are from the vehicle information label on the drivers door jamb and/or the owner's manual, your actual maximum payload is 1250# (5500 gvwr minus 4250 curb weight). Whenever you'll be loading close to the GVWR, it is best to first verify your true curb weight at a public scale, then add the weight of your anticipated passenger and equipment load to determine a best-estimate for tow vehicle weight, before adding the trailer tongue load. The difference between this estimate and the maximum GVWR can be used to determine the maximum tongue/trailer weights. If a Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) for your vehicle is available, it is often best to use this number to determine the actual maximum trailer weight. Manufactures often toute high tow weight ratings that, when combined with the GVWR, far exceed the GCWR. This means the tow vehicle is safe to tow the advertised trailer weight only with minimal payload. Again, in cases where anticipated loading will be near the GVWR, you may find your maximum trailer weight will be far less than the advertised tow rating.
    1 point
  40. That's the 80 per cent with which I totally agree.
    1 point
  41. Agree with me or not, I don’t have a dog in this race. My only point is that I believe that this is a terrible choice for a tow vehicle for an Oliver. The numbers bear that out and after towing our two Oliver’s over 150K miles during the past 14 years using five different tow vehicles, I believe I’m qualified to know what it takes to do it safely. My goal is to always help new owners and potential owners from making very costly mistakes (like I did) because many times they simply don't know what all is needed in order to make wise decisions.
    1 point
  42. I agree with Steve about 80 per cent.Some people carry less than me, many (like Steve) carry much more. We're under 4k, fully loaded, but still sure the 420 tongue is close. No basket. 20 lb tanks. I think it's also important to consider that towing with a marginal vehicle might meet safety requirements, but it won't likely be as fun or easy. And that small gas tank would be a no go for us . (I read the fb link.) Thanks for adding that, Steve.
    1 point
  43. Welcome to the forum. The GM motorhomes were the height of cool, back in the day. My boss had one, and I thought it was awesome. You can easily keep an Elite to under 4500 pounds. Don't get a tongue basket. Don't get 30 lb tanks. We've not weighed ours in a long time, but our tongue weight, years ago,, loaded for camping with some fresh and some grey and black from a three day trip, our trailer weighed 3960, with 420 on the tongue, 3540 on the axle. We've removed and replaced some equipment, so I'm sure we weigh a bit less, now. Think through options, and what you want to carry, carefully. Add the tongue weight to your passengers and pets, and that will tell you how much cargo you can carry in the Jeep. Probably not more than 200 pounds or so. You'll get a sticker with fully optioned weight, as delivered, and then you can figure out what you can carry in the trailer, within your Jeeps limits. We use cushions and a mattress topper. I'm sure the custom mattresses are a bit heavier. Is your trailhawk a Cherokee or Grand Cherokee? Where do you want to camp? Our Volvo xc90, with which we towed our Ollie Elite home to Florida, was fine in flats and hills, but probably would have struggled in the mountains.
    1 point
  44. When we ordered in 2015 the prowatt 2000 was an option, which we got. I just replaced it a few months ago with the same thing, as much as we use it I could not see the higher cost of the Freedom. Our inverter is off 98% of the time. Sometimes I use it on the road for a quick cup of coffee from our coffee maker and Carol uses it to blow dry sometimes. We have a Progressive Dynamics charger. I had to upgrade it when I replaced the old AGMs with Lithium’s. Mike
    1 point
  45. The settings inside the inverter are dependent on the type of batteries, number of batteries, incoming AC power, and how it is used. Below is a link to the Xantrex Inverter Settings article for best setup. You may find that some settings require a change as not everyone uses their camper in the same way but we have reviewed these settings and set them based on majority rule and least amount of callbacks for issues. You may have to change some of the settings based on your current location, current shore power connection, or if you make a change to your battery bank. https://support.olivertraveltrailers.com/portal/en/kb/articles/xantrex-inverter-settings If you need assistance changing your settings please contact the Oliver service department. If you are able to download the Xantrex App and Bluetooth connect to the inverter remote it is much easier to change the settings. How to connect via Bluetooth is included in the article link above.
    1 point
  46. Another update is now available - this time it is software for the "traffic". Over this past winter I planned a trip - this year it is Wyoming. Having completed similar trips in the past I know even small details like which gas stations I prefer and the coordinates of various boondocking spots and fishing spots. Needless to say - the entry of all these points/stops is reasonably time consuming. In final preparation for the start of the trip I had my 890 in my tow vehicle and decided to start the trip planner just to make sure that all was well. Unfortunately I got a message from the 890 which said that since the "transportation mode" was not the same the Garmin could not start the trip. OK - what the heck is the "transportation Mode"? A quick internet search turned up zilch. However, I remember that I have two vehicles programed into the 890 - my wife's car and my truck. Yep - I had constructed the trip plan while the 890 was in the setting for my wife's car - not my truck. Apparently there is no "easy" way to change the trip planner from one transportation mode (my wife's car) to another (my truck). Interestingly, the 890 says that there is a 4 mile greater distance in the route calculated for the truck versus the car. Since I happen to know all of the places I'm going on this trip - I know that there should be no problem getting my Ollie and truck there and back. Therefore, I'm not going to re-enter all of the data for the trip. But, I will not make this same mistake in the future!🙄 Bill
    1 point
  47. When looking for RVs I quickly zeroed in on fiberglass trailers. I looked at Casita as they are so close. Interior was a no go. Just felt cheap and carpet a huge turn off. Same for Scamp. Escape seems like a step up from those two but still not the same and while 5th wheel interesting interior was a hard pass. No trailer is perfect but Oliver interior are like nothing else. Now it isn’t for everyone but I smile every time I step inside my Ollie!
    1 point
  48. Sometimes it's kind of tight, even when the lever is completely released, because of the positioning of the ball against the side of the hitch, or tight to the front. Try what townesw said. If the jack still wants to "lift" the rear end of the truck, try sitting/bouncing on the side of the bumper when it's lifted an inch or two (enough that it should have disengaged) to break it free. It doesn't take a lot. Paul can do it by pushing down on the lifted bumper. I have to bounce my body weight on the bumper. Yes, put a tiny bit of grease on the ball. Don't use a pry bar. This is the best hitch ever, imo, and might just be a learning curve thing since you're used to the old school hitch. The reason it "sticks" occasionally is also the reason it's so bulletproof. When hitching back up, check to see if the ball is not centered, but is actually resting against the side of the latch. It won't close if it is resting next to the latch. If it is, you need to raise the jack, and reposition the truck so that the ball is centered in the actual hitch, mostly to the non-nonlatch side, so you can close the lever. Btw, this is so obvious I hate to ask, but you are retracting the collar, right? Reed Lukens did a nice video a few years back explaining (with video) the working concept of the bulldog. Maybe you (or someone else) will find it helpful.
    1 point
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