Leaderboard

We spent a few days at the 2022 Oliver Rally at Lake Guntersville SP. LGSP has an impressive 69,000 acre lake which looked pretty inviting with the hot temperatures. We will consider visiting this park again in cooler times of the year. It was really fun meeting many of the owners on this forum and just seeing so many “Ollies in the Wild.” There is nothing like being back in the high much cooler elevations of the NC Smoky Mountain Expressway.

Agree, agree, agree! Even though this year's Rally allowed for more time to visit with other Ollie owner's - there still wasn't enough time. For this I apologize to all those in attendance that I simply didn't get a chance to visit with or missed in passing. A special THANKS to Matt Duncan and his gang for organizing and running this year's event. Also, to Scott Oliver, Rodney Lomax (and his team) for being soooo gracious and generous in attending and supporting the Rally. Get your site early for next year because all the "veterans" have already begun to reserve the best sites. Bill

Hi Everyone! In the past, I've seen talk in the threads regarding the low flow from the furnace to the bath vent, well, I experienced that too. Here's what I found after a little detective work... Well no wonder! It helps when you connect the duct together. Yes, it was never connected, no wonder I only felt a very faint breeze from the bath vent. This shot was taken looking toward the kitchen sink, directly under the galley sink. The only way I could access this was to remove the plastic vent cover under the galley sink to connect the duct together. If this had not been possible, then the ONLY way would be to destroy the cabinetry to gain access to it. This was my first view, not touching anything and snapping this photo after I gained access. As you can see in this shot, there is no duct sealant or sheet metal screws, only a lone zip-tie that could not have possibly held this together properly. Notice, I put a plastic bag underneath to get ready to apply duct sealant. This blue tape was on the duct in two locations, possibly to note that this needed to be corrected before this area was closed up? Prepping the floor so I don't get duct sealant all over the place. Here's a look inside through the vent access directly looking at the disconnected furnace vent. The proper solution... three (3) sheet metal screws to follow. Keeping it neat and clean and getting a good bond. All dry, ready for the sheet metal screws... Due to the extreme limited space and only able to work with one hand, I had to tape the screws to the vent and use a hand driver to get the three sheet metal screws in the vent. It was impossible to access the other side however this is more than sufficient, especially with a generous application of the duct sealant and what is to follow... Ah yes, after the duct sealant completely dried and three sheet metal screws, I wrapped the joint with real duct tape and finished it with a fresh zip-tie to complete the surgery. And there you have it ladies and gentlemen... mission accomplished! I later purchased some inserts for the vent ducts that allow me to open and close the amount of flow that I want from the furnace in the bath. I simply adjust the two in the galley to my desired comfort and I'm a warm, happy camper! BTW, the awesome folks at Oliver Travel Trailers were very kind and reimbursed me for the materials, so we're both delighted with the result! For anyone experiencing low/no flow to their bath, this is the very first place I would look. Simply remove the vent cover under the galley sink, carefully disconnect the duct and see if your distribution tee is properly connected. If it is, I would strongly recommend the adjustable registers that can be purchased for these vents, my Ollie did not come with them. You only need two (2) for the sink vent and the bed vent. They are approx. $10 ea. When I run my furnace, I adjust them and can get a good flow of warm air in the bath. Problem solved!

I don't own (yet) this type of battery. But, I did attend the Lithionics presentation last week at our annual Oliver Rally and the presenter often referred to the "guides" that they have published on their website for each of their batteries. A large array of information is available there to include storage details such as you are interested in. Go HERE and then scroll down to your specific batteries to get this info. Bill

The annual Oliver Rally has always been the week after Mother's Day. For 2023 those dates will be May 14 for Mother's Day and the Rally will start May 17 (Wednesday) and end May 21 (Sunday). Bill p.s. If you are having trouble booking sites via the internet then I'd suggest a call to the State Park - they sometimes "block" a bunch of sites knowing that we will be using them.

Yes as long as it a metric tire.

An internet search will return a number of sources for "water hardness test strips". I use the On the Go standard portable softener (portablewatersoftener.com) and usually just buy the test strips from them. Cost is a bit more but easy to just add them on to make a larger accessory order. They also have a stainless hanger bracket for the softener that I rigged to hang off the rear bumper behind the water inlets.

Also announced today, Starlink for RVs https://www.starlink.com/rv

I was wondering if there are any filters back under the bathroom sink there that are blocked. it's odd that both the hot and cold water at the shower faucet have low pressure while the kitchen faucet (I just replaced it) and toilet are good. I replaced the dura facet shower head and with the white vinegar flush and soaked it in CLR - it is better but not great and I can likely live with it. I am going to start using the Camco water filter you recommended but I am not sure it will filter the high calcium we have here in N Texas. I may need to add a water softener. I will try a few more options before I remove the panel to get to under the bathroom sink. It seems I have had a lot of minor problems with my Oliver for only owning it for 2 years now. So far I have been able to fix them. Before I had a big horse trailer with living quarters that seemed to be a lot more durable. I guess it had to be well built to haul several thousand pounds of horses down the road. I had been told travel trailers are not that well built so that is why I choose Oliver. It interests me to fix problems. The Oliver service dept. are responsive when I ask for help but there are things I have pointed out to them that they can definitely improve on. The forum is great and I appreciate all the help.

We are about 70 mi from Natural Tunnel SP and go there about twice a season. I recommend you also visit Big Stone Gap, Norton VA ( WoodBugger check it out and you'll understand), and the small towns around area while you're there. Lot's of beautiful country to see and history.

So an update to my problem on no clearance to get the street side jack head off. I finally broke down and cut a 1/2 inch of the fiberglass using a rotary cutter so I could get the head off. see pic below. I had no problem with getting the curb side jack head off. I wonder if anyone else has had to do this? All jacks are now greased.

We continued our meander across Texas today for another one night stand just outside of Texarkana. We’re at Piney Point COE campground on Wright Patman lake. We’ve camped at this lake several times before at Clear Springs COE campground not too far from here (see page 9 of this thread). I’d say Clear Springs COE is a bit nicer and is much larger. It has a lot FHU sites if that’s what you need. This campground is smaller. Lots of tall pine trees, not like Texas Hill Country at all.

A rough estimate is certainly good enough for trailer tire covers. In fact - most of these covers do not state a specific tire size, but, cover a range of a few inches. Bill

I would guess that the two issues are not related other than possibly being hot in the trailer. My CO/propane detector will get very sensitive when the camper is hot and/or if there has been a thunder storm (ozone probably). More than likely the date on the back is the "start date" from which the countdown begins to its expiration date (most likely 5 years). However, my Ollie is a 2017 and I'm presently on my third co/propane alarm. With regards to the "buzz" under the dinette - the first thing I'd do is blow that dust out of that area. The dust makes things work hotter and is generally not good for electrical items. Of course I assume that you were plugged into shore power. If that is correct then the charger converter could have been charging the batteries and that could have cause the buzz. Obviously you can test this possibility by drawing down the batteries, making sure that your solar is off and then plug into shore power in order to get the converter to start doing its thing. Good luck! Bill

Interesting! Is that the formula to calculate the diameter of any tire?

There isn't anything else inside the vanity that can't be cleared with vinegar. The only reason to go inside would be to replace the faucet or extension hose. Have you observed how the waters flows from the hose with the shower head removed? Since the toilet fill is okay, and the supply connection for it is (or used to be) just before the end of line where the shower faucet connects, your problem most certainly is with the faucet. Then, since both hot and cold are affected, the restriction must be between the mixing valve and shower head. Wherever it turns out to be, use 100% vinegar and soak for a longer time. Two things I always check before hooking up are electrics and water hardness. West of the Mississippi, there has only been one campground where I didn't use my water softener.

225*.75*2/25.4+16= 29.28.... =

This may help. I purchased these and they fit our 2020 Ollie perfectly. You will have the same Cooper tires unless Oliver changes out the vendor. As long as your 5th wheel tires are 29-30” diameter you should be good to go. These have lasted well so far through two mild winters. Just a little faded from weather.

Alternative solution, what about getting rid of the faucet/sprayer and just have a plain faucet. I think I'd rather loose the sprayer feature rather than lose the drawers. Another solution could be to have a "box" behind the drawers for the sprayer hose to slide in...if there's room We pick up our Elite II in a couple of weeks (quite excited) so my input is more hypothetical on this one

Thanks dewdev! We're currently outside of Atlanta, visiting friends, MLK center, and going to a Braves game tonight. We're off for Memphis tomorrow for a few days, then Wichita, KS for Memorial day weekend, then back home in CO. This is our longest planned trip this season but we're going Beach camping in CA in October. We'll see about catching some weekend camping in CO this summer if schedule and opportunities allow. We have a lot of concerts planned, as well as out of town visitors this Summer.

2003 2.4L Tacoma. Full disclosure, no sag with 30PSI in the air bags and it's a confidence builder for the Tacoma moving Ollie around the house!

The Obey and Obed are two separate rivers. The Obey river where rideandfly stayed is on the Dale Hollow Lake near the KY and TN state line. The Obed River is a NPS Wild and Scenic River located a little further south in Morgan and Cumberland counties of TN.

Tonight we’re at another COE campground in Mississippi near Starkville, just outside of Columbus AFB. We picked it at random due to location but are pleasantly surprised. It’s a very nice campground and we have FHU (not that we need that for one night). We’re only about 170 miles from Lake Guntersville and the rally, so we will have a short drive tomorrow. Nostalgia - 60 years ago we lived here in Starkville where I went to 2nd and 3rd grade while my dad went to Mississippi State University.

I highly recommend that everyone pull drawers and check this area early and add it to your routine check list. I discovered ours had started leaking at the latest four months after taking possession and suspect it was leaking on delivery day. The source of this leak was the faucet where the water lines screw into the the base at the handle. I replaced it with a household Dura faucet.

I didn't order Lithium with my trailer and have just returned from 2.5 months in the SW, some campgrounds with hookups but the majority was either campgrounds where dry camping was available or boondocking. The solar, 2000 watt inverter and 6V AGMs performed flawlessly. I had enough power each night to run the furnace from bedtime to awakening, run electriconics and have lights. I would not have benefitted from the Lithiums mostly because I don't use a electric coffee-maker, hairdryer, microwave, crockpot or waffle iron. For my use, the standard solar and 6V battery bank is more than I need. Now, if Lithium prices came down considerably by the time I am ready to replace my AGMs would I splurge? Maybe, maybe not since a lot of my camping happens during Winter months and in the cold and Lithium just doesn't perform to its full potential in the cold. I understand why many upgrade to Lithium and it makes sense for their camping patterns.

I can't give you specific advice as my LE II is a 2020 and when I ordered mine, Oliver did not offer any lithium options (they announced availability three weeks after I ordered mine). After purchase, I immediately upgraded to Lithium. The upgrade was painless . Having said that, I would probably order the full Oliver lithium package if I had it to do over again just for convenience and the bells and whistles of Oliver's battery choice. As a point of reference though, I will explain my experience in which I easily upgraded later. Since Oliver had no lithium option and I planned to convert to lithium right away, I asked Oliver to add the solar system and inverter, but I would stick with the standard 2 flooded batteries when I ordered. Oliver said I had to upgrade to 4 batteries (flooded were fine) if I ordered the solar/inverter system because they needed 4 batteries to test out the whole system before delivery. So I upgraded to from 2 to 4 flooded batteries. When I got the trailer home, I replaced the four flooded batteries with 4 Lion Energy UT 1300 lithium batteries through Costco (113 ah each for a total of about 450 ah). They were $700 each (Costco has specials on these batteries a couple times a year) The UT 1300 lithiums (only 23 lbs each) are group 24 size which is the same footprint as the four flooded batteries (Group 27) that came in the Oliver. That made it easy. All I did was remove the four flooded batteries and replaced them with the 4 lithiums. They were an exact fit and I didn't have to change out any of the wiring. Truly plug and play. It took about 2 hours. It would have taken half that time except that the posts on the UT 1300 lithiums were both sized the same as a negative terminal on a flooded battery so I had to run to NAPA and buy a replacement negative terminal for my positive battery cable so it would fully tighten onto the postive post of the first lithium battery. (The positive terminal post on the flooded batteries is slightly larger than the negative terminal post I learned.) That was not an issue with the remaining three batteries because the cables attach to screw posts with wing nuts.) I now have 18 months of experience with my lithium batteries and at least 12 boondocking trips. No problems whatsoever, knock on wood. The UT 1300 lithiums don't have bluetooth or heaters but that hasn't been a problem. Each battery has a button you push that will light up a row of 5 LED's when the batteries are above 70% state of charge (SOC), when you get down to only 2 led lights lit, the battery is down to about 20% state of charge. While crude and not particularly accurate, they work and I always have a good idea of how much juice I have left. The Battery Management system (BMS) in the UT 1300 seems to work fine, and has all the important safety systems built in (e.g., won't charge if the battery is below freezing, etc.). I store my trailer outside and the solar system keeps the batteries fully charged all the time in the summer. In the winter, I am connected continuously to shore power which makes sure the batteries are brought to a full charge each day. I know this is not recommended for maximum battery life, but the Lion Energy warranty is 8 year replacement with no pro-ration if the batteries drop to less than 70 percent capacity in the first 8 years. We'll see.

I think have the perfect location for the boondockers in the crowd - it's a beautiful, private, group site at Buffalo Creek here in CO that would easily accommodate 10-15 Olivers. Caveat - no hookups, pit toilet, water situation can be iffy. We have it reserved this June for a week for an annual friends and family camp. I'll take a serious survey while we are there and see if it could work. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to get it for 2022. You have to reserve a year in advance, and if you don't you won't get the site. I'll take a poll, if I can figure out how to do that. mb

Another Yeomans tale from an ingenious Oliver owner. Great effort. The downside - Oliver has yet to execute a manufacturing process that reduces variation to very small percentages . This is just one more tale of failure. This is not a communication error in an inverter, Nor is it a solar charge optimization issue. it is a connect the part A to part B failure. Not simple, but every day stuff in modern manufacturing. At $70K plus for a rolling boat - Olive has work to do, RB Former Happy Oliver Owner.

Have to agree with Steve - I’m immensely impressed at the dexterity and patience involved there. Another route that people have used when making repairs in that space has been to cut access hatches in the bottom of the drawer cabinet. Oliver should really do that in construction anyway. It’s easy to do with a router, using the sides of the cabinets as your jig. They don’t lessen the cabinet’s structural integrity and will save you a bit of weight. Plus you save all that time of training the octopus. If you do that, though, just be sure to cut some ¼” plywood covers for the hatches since things in the drawers can bounce out and end up in that space, and you don’t want to have to search through the hull space for an adventurous fork.

Nice work, very impressive. If I'd have known you were about to tackle this difficult job, I would have loaned you my trained octopus. She can reach anywhere from several different directions at the same time.