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Showing content with the highest reputation on 08/30/2022 in all areas

  1. I was excited to see Oliver TT at Overland Expo Mountain West last weekend. My Kimberley T3 Kruiser was on display at Kimberley Kampers USA booth with every Kimberley product on display. Oliver was set up with a beautiful Elite II right behind us. Had many conversations with the Oliver crew including Scott Oliver. Kimberley and Oliver products are both excellent hand-crafted trailers with different uses and attributes. The Oliver and Kimberley people sent many potential customers to one and other during the course of the three-day event. It was the first time Oliver has been represented at an Overland Expo and I’m pretty sure Oliver will be back—Scott said it was very productive. It was great to see how Oliver has improved the Elite II since I purchased mine in 2015. I owned it for four years and have great memories of my travels in the Elite II.
    7 points
  2. On August 8th there was discussion concerning, what seemed to be, an unusual number of problems noticed in a new delivery. Several issues were brought up but particularly some missing and poor quality caulking was noted. This really alarmed me since our delivery day of August 11 was approaching. After waiting so long, you just want things to go well. I’m a caregiver for my bride of 53 years who has developed a neurocognitive disorder. She requires my attention, which I am glad to give her. The primary reason for me getting the Ollie is to make it easier on us both in our race against time to revisit our trips out West and into Canada that we did with our kids in the old Coleman pop-up so many years ago. On delivery day, my goal was to test everything at the service center campsite, but with caregiving, I’ve learned patience, to expect the unexpected, and to go with the flow. I just couldn’t go over as much as I had hoped. I had gotten reservations for 3 days after delivery for the weekend about 60 miles west at Chickasaw SP. We have elderly parents and family nearby that we needed visit. My plan was to use some of these 3 days go over everything and to go back to Hohenwald on the way home to East TN to have them correct any issues I might discover. Ryan went over everything with me to my satisfaction on delivery. It’s just a lot to cover. A heavy downpour, as I pulled out, delayed setup and flooded the utilities at a few of the sites for a couple of hours. We had a few off and on light showers and it was very hot! During the orientation and that afternoon, I really inspected the caulking and everything I could. I only noticed two things. 1. the touch light over the sink did not work 2. There was a small gap between the top of awning gasket seal and the bottom of the awning. I could see a little light shining through the opening. A tech replaced the touch light that afternoon and I was told that the small gap was not a problem. I questioned this, and I looked at other Ollies outside and noticed that on most of them I could see small gaps of light showing above their awning gaskets. I plan to run a caulk bead on the top of the seal. Caulking- Where it shows, the caulking job was almost flawless. I know from experience how difficult this is. I saw no missed areas. On the roof, the caulking was adequate but no attention to esthetics was paid there, it wasn’t very neat. What follows will be of no interest or is old news to most owners but to those awaiting delivery who have no experience with a tank monitor, it might be helpful. Since I haven’t owned a trailer with a toilet (having only had a portable marine toilet in our A-frame popup), tank monitoring was new to me. While at the site and even at the SP I couldn’t get the black tank to show anything other than 0%. The grey and fresh tank monitoring seemed to work as I expected. On departure day, I flushed 2 gallons of water into the toilet and got it to read 12%. When I had to make my decision whether or not to go to Hohenwald, I called the service center. I was concerned that I might have a problem with the sender panel circuit board on the black tank. I called the service center and was told that there could be a 13% difference or error in what the monitor read and what was actually in the tank. He told me that they couldn’t see me until the next day. I decided to proceed home. Once home, I tested the black tank monitor by pouring gallon increments of water into the toilet and getting a reading. Here are my results: 2 gallons 6% 4 19% 5 25% 6 31% 7 44% 8 50% 9 56% 10 69% 11 69% yes 69% 12 75% 13 81% 14 81% Bowl emptied but pipe was full, I raised tongue of trailer and The level in pipe dropped and reading was 88%, I raised tongue more and the reading was 94% I’m satisfied that everything is ok and from past thread postings we know that the tanks drain better with some increased tongue height. Apparently, when camping those days there was just not enough going into the black tank for it to read much. I really like the owner manuals! Some are definitely not easy reading but I’m impressed that Oliver printed all the component info and manuals and combined them. Typically, most RVs have numerous odd sized manuals and info. I hope this helps someone. Thanks to all you folks on this forum for your insight and help thus far and I’ll definitely be asking for more. Li'l Ollie is at home in East TN
    7 points
  3. Hi All, we are Bob and Francine (aka Frankie). We are retired and happy to be part of the Oliver family. We recently ordered our Oliver LE ll to be picked up next April (2023). After researching for quite a while, we kept coming back to Oliver. We live in Southern California and after contacting Oliver about their RV, we were referred to an owner not far from us who was kind enough to let us come visit and see their Oliver and answered a ton of questions we had. Shortly after, we made the trip to TN to tour the facility and instantly saw the quality and workmanship that is put into Oliver. Our sales representative, Jason, is great! He took his time with us and has kept in touch with us throughout the entire process. We’ve been shopping for a while and appreciated Jason’s excellent customer service. He’s been amazing and has answered all questions and concerns. We also like all the great reviews about their service department. We’ve heard nightmare stories with other RV brands and doesn’t seem to be the case with Oliver. We went on forums for other RV brands and there seems to be more complaining about quality and service than there are compliments. Oliver forum is amazing. Everyone seems so passionate about Oliver and will be so nice to be able to get advice and ask questions, as I know we will have some once we start RV’ing. Look forward to informative conversations with some of you. Happy camping!
    3 points
  4. Hello Hull 812, I have Hull 806 and had the same issue with the tv antenna pulling in zero channels. I found a work around until I took 806 back to Oliver for annual maintenance. Oliver confirmed what I found....the cables behind the switch in the "attic" were reversed. They corrected the connections on the back of that switch and I now am able to pull in over the air channels with no issues. (the work around I used before Oliver corrected it was to run a coax from the front of the"attic" switch to the back of the tv....you just have to experiment with the push button switch to determine which coax position to use) Let me know if you want more info.
    3 points
  5. It is not at all hard to install the Victron smart shunt, which indeed gives the owner excellent info and it also networks with any other Victron parts like solar. It would be nice if they did it at the factory so the cabling issue is not the limiting factor for a DIY installation.. Getting most of the cables out of the battery compartment would certainly improve it visually. John Davies Spokane WA
    3 points
  6. Good luck in all your travels. I hope you get to revisit all the places you’ve been and make new memories. The tank readings you’re experiencing are pretty much what I would expect them to be. It is more of a guesstimate than a particularly accurate reading. As time goes by you will learn to accept this as normal, as it is.
    3 points
  7. Welcome, Bob and Frankie! We haven't ordered our Oliver yet, but we have spent many hours reading here at the forum. People are respectful and kind, and truly helpful. How great that your OTT is in the works! 🙂
    3 points
  8. Assuming you have propane to all of your other appliances…. Ensure that your quick connect is fully seated. Pull the collar all the way back and insert the hose making sure the collar goes all the way back forward locking the hose in place. Do you have a regulator on the appliance your are trying to use? If so, you may need to remove it since propane from your trailer tanks is already regulated. Mike
    3 points
  9. I have been using zip ties for years on my sailboat. They are a fine way to make a light fastening but do have the drawback of degrading in sunlight to the point where, after a season or two, their resistance to abrasion and breaking is seriously compromized. Replacing these plastic ties would be on my annual to-do list. I have looked for UV restant zip ties but no luck so far ... would like very much if someone here could post a source. In this application stainless or monel seizing wire would be a superior option.
    3 points
  10. Edgar or Johnny?
    3 points
  11. John, All good questions. First and foremost, this will not open your phone up to hackers if you do not do this. That said, it can open you up to your neighbor exploring your Victron and making changes, even shutting it down. I just want to lock down anything that has settings that can be changed via remote app. I work in IT so that might just be me saying don't look at my stuff and don't change my stuff. Has this ever happened? My guess would be yes but I don't know of any cases where batteries or solar have been hacked and manipulated. I can say, when I first saw the Lithionics app demonstrated and it showed all the batteries within BT range it concerned me. The guy doing the demonstration said, you might have to know your battery's serial number if there are a lot of them around. Yikes. (being the paranoid IT guy). Just passing a new feature along for the consideration of others. Brian
    3 points
  12. I realize I might be an odd duck, but I can't say enough about this national monument. It's strange but I love it. There are about 50 campsites, first come first serve. No reservations. I pulled in today at 11:30 and had my pick of almost any site. Some too small for the Ollie but most are plenty big. There are nice flush toilets nearby and water faucets spaced throughout. Most sites aren't too close together.
    2 points
  13. I was always curious as to why this was not done early in the release but am VERY happy they are incorporating it now. Brian
    2 points
  14. 2 points
  15. Interesting to see if it generated any sales. I was chatting with Bob while you guys were out there. I was in his Kimberley S3 before he was while visiting family in Bellefontaine. He had the Land Cruiser at the time, and I was disappointed that the two were a poor combination without a weight distribution hitch. So I was letting him know I'd ordered an Oliver. Anyway, I'd mentioned that it was sort of an odd thing to bring a trailer with a mostly retired ownership to an off-road event mostly attended by young #vanlife and truck campers. Seemed an odd choice. He'd said that you all wondered the same thing! 🤣 I guess we'll see if anything comes from it!
    2 points
  16. If/when mine breaks, I’ll probably replace it with a plexiglass sheet mirror. Kind of pricey, but lighter, and eliminates the future risk and safety hazard of glass breakage. This company will do cut to size. https://www.eplastics.com/plexiglass/acrylic-sheets/mirror
    2 points
  17. These instructions were a big help to me. I broke the mirror in my bathroom door and was able to replace it by following the above directions. My local glass and mirror place was able to remove the mirror from the backing and replace it with a new mirror. Cost me about $100 to have this done. I was very pleased to be able to do this myself, and the door looks like new.
    2 points
  18. We will be picking up in March and attending the Rally in May as well. Brian
    2 points
  19. We love it there, my wife's Aunt and Uncle live in ARCO, ID (I know, who does that?). We towed through there in 2020 but it was full (and we had a 30' trailer) so we camped just down the street. Brian
    2 points
  20. SteveCR likely has the reason you have not be able to get any TV channels. Hull 812: If you are talking about the Control Panel for the WiFi Ranger, you are confusing the WiFi and the TV. They have nothing to do with each other. WiFi is for getting the internet. The TV has nothing to do with the internet. (unless you are using a Firestick or some other type devise to plan movies that picks up internet.)
    2 points
  21. John, I agree, it is not that difficult to install one but, with the current system, I don't know that there would be much added value by doing so. Of course, if I was designing an all-Victron suite, it would include a Smart Shunt, Inverter/Charger, and MPPT Solar Charge Controller. But I'm not... Brian Paris, TN
    2 points
  22. Steve - I don't disagree with anything you have stated here. Right there with you. IMHO FWIW - a move to Victron should have included all components. Brian
    2 points
  23. Don, good to hear from you and glad to see Oliver branching out a little bit. I wonder what an overland Oliver model might look like…. Mike
    2 points
  24. Bravo for Oliver! But I find this very ironic because I planned to visit OE PNW in Redmond OR, I wanted to camp there at the venue. But the rules say I can’t because the LE2 is not an “overland” trailer and the sites are short... The first part I actually agree with 100%. Does this mean that Oliver will finally install a decent rough road suspension like a Timbren or at least offer that option? Needless to say I did not attend. “Rustic, festival-style camping is available to all on-site campers. Access is open to overland vehicles only; no hookups; no vehicles over 35 feet, no large trailers; see vehicle restrictions. “ BTW I did rough camp (in a grassy field) for three nights at the NW Overland Rally in WA and it was a very rewarding experience. Sitting around the bonfire listening to speakers and getting swag was fun. I had to unhitch and park right beside the trailer, taking two 30 foot spots… the lot assistants had no issue with that. I even got my wife interested enough to drive the off-road course in the LC200, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Don, do you have pics to post? I read on Expedition Portal that it was hot, dusty and no shade? Was that a problem? John Davies Spokane WA
    2 points
  25. It would be helpful if you included in your signature the year of your Oliver and Model so people here could help you solve problems. My Omni-directional antenna is in the attic (rear overhead compartment) and when you push the button on the plate the light will go on indicating that the transmitter is on. After doing that, run a scan on your TV so it will find channels that are available in your area. Once the scan is complete, you should be able to watch a TV channel. Good luck and let us know how you did.
    2 points
  26. Thin long pants, long sleeves. Spray my clothes, not my skin. Organic herbal repellents, as i can. A small fan works under normal conditions. Summer in the Tundra, not so much. Head fly screen. I like alcohol wipes to relieve itxh. Or children's antiitch. I have this in both trucks, and trailer first aid kit.
    2 points
  27. I use a couple of them. One for paper towels and the other for my waste bag. They hold for a day or two, then a couple pumps on the push rod to tighten them up (the pushrod shows when the suction is waning). They're neat, clean and good looking on the white interior. And, you can move them easily!
    2 points
  28. As far as I know the WiFi Ranger is only for internet connections. I have the Omni-directional antenna and I can not get any TV reception unless I turn on the amplifier which is located in the attic. Once the amplifer is on, when I scan for TV channels I get a lot of channels when the Ollie is in my driveway. I have never tried it when camping as we are generally doing a lot of other things other than watching TV.
    2 points
  29. Hello and welcome! Congrats on ordering your Oliver, you are going to love it!! This forum is so helpful and so many willing to help if you have a question. The Oliver University is quite helpful and Oliver also has several tutorial YouTube videos that are also great reference guides. There is also a FB Oliver owners group you can join, a lot of great info there as well. So excited for you, the Oliver is a real gem!
    2 points
  30. The 2023 EII will have a Victron Solar Charge controller replacing the Zamp controller and it will be Bluetooth capable. That will give you access to your charging parameters and most of the battery information that you would want/need. You can also access the Xantrex Pro 3000 via BT and get inverter and battery information from there. Accessing at the Battery level is good because you can get fault codes and check the individual battery health and temp. This would not be something I would do often but if BT access is there, I want it to be access protected. I have seen many Victron systems that incorporate the "Smart Shunt" where they are very clear that every ground has to be connected to the shunt in order for it to report accurately to the controller. Since some batteries are not close to this shunt, I have seen things like tongue jacks and powered stabilizers wired directly to the battery and not being reported by the smart shunt, even while in use. Oliver doesn't use the Smart Shunt so direct access to the batteries could be helpful in identifying parasitic draws, albeit fairly insignificant. It can also be helpful, since the batteries are in parallel, to see if both batteries are healthy. The bottom line is, most everything will be connected soon and we will have to choose which path we will take when assessing our power reserves. Options are a good thing as long as they don't drive the prices up to where we can no longer afford to have them. Brian
    2 points
  31. Hello and welcome! I recommend you spend a lot of time following and researching on this forum. You will not find more helpful people or better information anywhere, and it will help you tremendously for future planning. Be patient with the search engine. Don’t be discouraged by posts that seem negative, they are usually constructive advice. Most of the mods and repairs you will read about have nothing to do with Oliver quality or design. They are most often related to RV components common to major brands, just normal trailer fixit stuff.
    2 points
  32. See this Facebook post from May 2021 for supporting evidence for this mod. If you haven’t already done so, please check and modify the mounting knobs on your solar panels. Having a panel fly off at speed could not only be expensive, it could be a major liability if any following vehicles sustain damage or injuries.
    2 points
  33. We had this conversation about a few years ago, on our back porch. My marine industry friend and I have the victron connect app on our phones. Since we had not reset the code from all 0,yet, he and i could both see all the same info about our sailboat,, and make any changes. He laughed, and said it was surprising how many boats in a marina (victron is very popular in the marine world) had not reset the 6 digit pass code from all 0. Bluetooth doesn't work very far, but a curmudgeon with the victron app could , potentially, create a bit of havoc. His customers are password protected from the get go. Hint: don't use your hull # , if it's displayed on your trailer, for lithionocs, since it's only 4 digits. Use a different 4 digits unique to you.
    2 points
  34. The fuse is not under the dinette. It is kind of hard to find. I have an Elite II so my location may be different. In my trailer it is located under the street side bed up toward the front of the camper near the pantry. Here's what it looked like on my trailer before I replaced it.
    1 point
  35. Forgot to mention…. These go great with pork chops as well as for dessert…ala’mode of course!
    1 point
  36. This is a bit disappointing. The switch to Victron for 2023 models was one of the three improvements (depending on your point of view) I was glad to see; the others being the Truma AC and the 12V compressor fridge. After seeing a bunch of Victron/Battleborn conversions the last few years on vans, off-road trailers, etc., I was hoping that part of Oliver's big cost increase for 2023 was the full Victron suite, incuding their smart shunt and inverter/charge controller. I'm sure it will work fine, just not what I was hoping for. I didn't ask during our tour, because I don't think Anita was familiar with what was coming, but also because I was going to order, regardless of the components.
    1 point
  37. Great report! Wishing you many happy journeys in your new Ollie.
    1 point
  38. I too hope you get to revisit all the places you have been. Safe Travels and enjoy!!
    1 point
  39. Going to try all suggestions. Last year, our first year, we had great weather and didn’t require television. We were trying things out, making sure they worked. This year we encountered several days of rain and thought some local news would be nice. Todays mission is to try and get this all figured out. Certainly appreciate all the help this forum can offer.
    1 point
  40. @In Pursuit, please add info to your sigmature. A photo or two would really help. Many things have changed, over the years. Welcome, and, we'd all love to help.
    1 point
  41. Both my stove top and fridge work on propane. I also removed the regulator on the grill. Thanks
    1 point
  42. Must of looked right past them recently in a Lowes. At your suggestion I also found them on Amazon. Thank you!
    1 point
  43. 1 point
  44. Showed Debbie your photo and did not give details, she thought it looked like a body, too. Thought about Chevy, too:
    1 point
  45. I finally got my WiFi Ranger connected to the internet afer working on it off and on for five days trying all kinds of configurations. Thanks to Ray Kimsey and David (GraniteStaters) for your assistance in the correct way to connect. I was not able to connect to my slow house WiFi internet (provided by my phone company). I also tried to connect to a "Open" web site that the Ranger found and that did not work. For my third try, one of my neighbors let me try their medium speed cable WiFi, but that also did not work. For my 4th try my other neighbor, who had a fast cable WiFi, the WiFi Ranger immediately connected. Now I know that my WiFi Ranger works. The other lesson I learned about the WiFi Ranger company is that they are very slow in returning phone calls. They are very fast if you go to their Support page and open a trouble ticket, which I did as I wanted to update the WiFi Ranger firm wear. I got an answer to my trouble ticket within 2 hours. That is pretty fast in getting a responce. I responded the the tech's e-mail and asked him to call me back as I had some other questions. He called back within a couple of hours and I asked him a bunch of questions including why I could not connect to 3 sites, but I could to the faster one. He could not provide a good answer as he did not know the WiFi configuration and speed of the failed locations. Good lessons learned here on how to communicate with the WiFi Ranger company.
    1 point
  46. Shades of Chevy Chase? 1980s vacation?
    1 point
  47. We are staying at a great little RV resort in Gulf Shores Alabama called Bay Breeze. The staff Is friendly and it’s very neat, clean and well run. The local fresh seafood is excellent! Time to go explore Fort Morgan. We were originally headed to Fort Pickens and discovered it was closed due to flooding of the main road leading to the park. Naturally. We did well landing our Ollie here. Adventures Onward!
    1 point
  48. “Somewhere Oliver and the Rainbow”. Yes, bluebirds do fly here...lots of them. Floyd, Va. Chantilly CG. We booked another week in October. We reeeeallly like it here.
    1 point
  49. The way they mount them may have changed back but for a while you could technically tilt them but the lower end would hit the curb so that you could only get a few degrees of tilt.
    1 point
  50. Since they can't tilt I wonder why Oliver doesn't just use a regular bolt and lock nuts.
    1 point
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