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Even though we don't have our Oliver yet, I'll play. First photo of the year in my photo library. Our grandkids One of three gatherings with the Ohio chapter of Tearjerkers Our current setup Having a winery near the campground was nice! Deb is an Ambassador, so she got an opportunity to buy bottles from "her" barrel, as well as dip them in wax. It was a fun trip A couple days later, we were in Tennessee! Late summer camping with my brothers, their spouses, and our daughter and her fiance Mid-October we lost my mother at age 91. What a full and wonderful life. And yes, that's me. A few days later, we gained a son-in-law. And, just a couple days ago, a fitting bookmark to the first photo. I promise, next year's compilation will have some Oliver photos!

Could your fill a couple of 55 gallon drums of that diesel and bring it over to my house? It's still about $4.50 here.

Just drove by our local Quik Trip, diesel at $3.99. First time below $4 in a loooooong time.

Hard to choose but here are a few of my favorites! The first photo was the day we brought our Ollie home.

Let me resurrect this thread! 🙂 This link explains very well the difference between a desiccant and compressor dehumidifier. https://ionmax.com.au/blogs/resources/desiccant-or-compressor-dehumidifier#:~:text=Desiccant dehumidifiers operate much quieter,level of over 45 dB. In a nutshell... Desiccant dehumidifiers: Can increase the surrounding temperature up to 3-5°C **nice for colder weather**, perform well regardless of the surrounding temperature, hence, a desiccant dehumidifier is more suitable if you live in a climate with four seasons. Compressor dehumidifiers: work well at temperatures above 20°C (68°F), suitable for indoor environments that are warm, excellent choice for those living in year-long warm climates

Hi RV Newbie! I’ll take a try: Question 1: Yes, your AC will work fine on a Honda EU2200, if you have a MicroAir EZ Start installed. You didn’t say, perhaps they are standard on your new model. If not, you need one, and they still have a Cyber Monday sale on. I have an older Honda EU2000 (less power) and it works great with my Dometic AC. Your problem is likely that you are running other AC equipment simultaneously such as the battery charger, maybe the inverter. Turn off the inverter and all AC circuit breakers before you run the AC on generator. Question 2: It may be related to Question 1, too much AC stuff running at same time. Why are you running a generator to heat water? Just use LP gas for hot water heater (and refrigerator), it’s much more efficient. Switch those appliances to AC when on shore power only. The more you use this forum, you’ll realize the answers to those questions and just about all others you will have, have already been asked and answered here within this forum. The challenge is finding the answers. Be patient and search, you’ll figure it out. Congratulations on your new trailer and welcome to Ollie World!

You need to keep the compressor at no more than 60 psi. It will not hurt anything. Using 120psi off a big compressor will rupture lines. I suggested blowing out twice with AF between those two processes. As long as you trust your AF is rated to -50F, I think you would be safe with just the AF. The main thing is to try to eliminate any and all trapped pockets of water. Do you plan to carry an extra propane bottle? You will go through the gas incredibly fast. Depending on the inside temperature…. My adapter is a Camco one, I drilled out the tiny hole to make it flow better. I see that you can now buy one like that, see below. John Davies Spokane WA

Love the tug/barge on the river at sunset photo. Reminds me of camping on the Mississippi. Thanks for sharing the memories. Glad you had a great first season.

Karick Lake South, Baker FL in the Blackwater River State Forest about an hour from my house. Was able to load the bike and close the tailgate to take it camping. Great trails and perfect time of year for this part of the world.

If I thought the temp was going to drop much below 0 degrees F, I would drain the entire system (long before the cold hit!) and blow it out with air, then do an antifreeze treatment, and then blow THAT out with air. The real worry with using only compressed air is that there will always be a little leftover water in the system, and it will accumulate at the low spots like the street side check valves. Doing it twice with AF in between should make the system freeze proof. The folks who really get screwed don’t winterize nearly soon enough, and when they do try to do it - “OMG an arctic blast is here!” - all the drains are frozen solid and it is far too late. This is all entirely theiretical for me 😬. The coldest my unheated but attached RV bay has every gotten is +42 degrees F. John Davies Spokane WA

True - but - Actually for both the Ollie and for my Tow vehicle, the spare tire is a real pita to check the tire pressure. The extra sensors allow for checking these two tires without the hassle of actually getting to the tire stem. Bill

Tom and I won't have our Ollie E2 (Hull #1321) until January, but here are some favorite photos from 2022: We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a happy and healthy new year! Best, Doreen and Tom DE64BCCB-E2B2-4144-B81E-49912B2C2242_1_201_a.heic

Bill, I have the ViAir air compressor which I plan to have with me. Initially I thought to get a couple extra for the spare tires, but if I should ever need to put the spare tire on, I figured that I could air up those spares and swap out the Tpms on the new tire. I think the batteries in those sensors only last a year. Might want to get eight batteries. John

Thanks John, so glad I found this thread, was hoping I could flip the blinds so the blackout is on the bottom! 🙂 Hope this function will still be possible on the newer 2023 LEII!

I have a Sony Betamax machine for sale. I’ll even throw in the optional stack loader.

There has been a lot of discussion on hitch height in the past few years….

Found this on casitaforum. Hope to be in the area and stop by for a few nights. Will also be in Q mid-Jan. Anyone else planning to be there?

This recent post has some details for you, see Geronimo Johns post. Hitch Height

That’s about right. If I remember, my ball is just under 24” with no load. It drops about 1.5” when the trailer is lowered. It looks right from a distance. Tomorrow, I will be picking our trailer up for a trip starting Friday and will measure again for you. Mike

I had centramatics on my Airstream and was extremely pleased with them, tires were 6 years old and no uneven wear at all. They automatically find the heavy side of the wheel to neutralize the imbalance by perfectly adding weight (oil and beads) to the light side, even when the heavy side changes (which does throughout the life of the tire), centramatics change with it. Here's a good YouTube video of how they work.

You may be ruling out a return air obstruction but there is still the supply side that is more likely to be a problem with these installations. Since the LEII duct restriction is right at the minimums for proper furnace operation, be sure the dampers in all the warm air outlets are fully open. Better yet would be to totally remove the the damper disks from at least two of the three outlets. A significant air flow imbalance could cause the sail switch to flutter, intermittently shutting down the burner and re-sequencing the operation.

Good looking job that you did! Thanks John

I got the idea for both from other threads here. Parts came from Amazon: Esssentials UW05004 Polar White... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009IGF42G?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share White Water Plastic 5-Slotted... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075H3V8HG?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share SIBE-R Plastic Supply - Dark... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071KGRGPP?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share Plus some weatherstripping from the hardware store.

If you do manage the back country ski trip in the boundary waters, I'll look forward to your photos. This will undoubtedly be your biggest challenge, towing, and I have zero recommendations. Maybe someone else can help . My brother and friends did this in spring, tent camping. Several times. I have no idea on access, and plowing, in winter. Everything depends on the year, for sure, but my family rarely went north of Bemidji, after deer hunting season. Northern Minnesota winters can be brutal. We get the Canadian fronts, and in Southern Minnesota, the ice storms. I moved to Florida a long time ago, and rarely go back in the beautiful winter. Too many memories of canceled reservations because of weather . Ps. winds across the plains can be ferocious, along with snows. Plan to stay put, at a rest area, if the winds kick up, across the Dakotas. Winter is beautiful in Minnesota, on good days. It's also super cold, and unpredictable. Snow bands, and ice bands, can be small, like 50 to 100 miles. I love my native state, but rarely go there in winter. Viking blood, and a sense of reason. Read O E Rolvaags "Giants in the Earth". This is what my ancestral family dealt with. We joke about the pineapple belt. It's just cold, snowing, and often icey, in winter . Were it me, I'd drop south from Denver.

Oh yes, ask your truck and trailer insurance rep for any limitations/ exclusions about such an extensive off season trip in inclement weather. John Davies Spokane WA

Gerry, no offense, but I think it is a foolish crazy idea. But this is from a guy who parks his trailer thru the entire winter. I have been towing for 50 years, and I do know the perils of winter driving, especially on cleared roads (hard packed snow.) Ignoring the nasty effects of mag chloride, you could not pay me enough to tow “Mouse” over them. I suggest that you at the very minimum install a set of 100% winter tires on the truck and the trailer… . No All Season can begin to compare, even if it has the snowflake symbol on it. The compound is too hard below 40 deg F. My LC200 has studded Nokian Hakka LT tires and they are wonderful. I scrapped a set of three season old studless Nokian snow tires with 70% tread left after a sphincter tightening experience on sheet ice on the Interstate that almost killed me. That exact same scenario involved my son and my old Land Cruiser 80, four years ago, but he totaled it. Studs rule! Unfortunately soft tires will wear really fast when towing and the steering will be disturbingly vague. The trailer may not like them either. Around here the number of TRAVEL trailers you see on the road from Dec through Feb can be counted on the fingers of one hand... I believe deep down that for a trip like this you need a truck camper on a big pickup. Period. John Davies Spokane WA

I live in the Mpls/StPaul area in Minnesota and have driven our LE II to Utah/Colorado and back in March (and in the summer). Everything is weather dependent. A pretty major winter storm moved across Nebraska when we made the trip west. We dropped down to Kansas to avoid it. It added a 1/2 day of additional travel. I70 west of Denver closed for a few hours the next day due to an avalanche. Not a big deal to sit out a road closer when towing a camper (you have food, water, heat, and a toilet), but it could have been bad depending on plans and reservations. Don’t plan on covering summer travel distances in the winter. The truck stops and rest areas are always jammed full with semi rigs between here and Denver. You can’t depend on them being accessible for even an hour or two of rest. Rigs are often parked up and down solid in the access lanes. It took five summers of traveling, but I’ve been to every state park in Minnesota. While open for day visitors, most close the gates to the campgrounds around mid October and don’t open again until Spring. The Mn DNR has a good website where you can make reservations. Check it out before assuming they’re open. Mn state parks require online reservations now. Ranger stations will be unmanned in the winter, except MAYBE weekends. Cell service isn’t guaranteed. You may end up backtracking many miles to pick up a signal to claim a campsite even IF you find an open park. The days of filling out a slip and dropping your fee in the box on the post are mostly over. I know that many of the National Forest campgrounds around Ely are also closed during the winter. It’s probably not worth it to plow out the snow, especially in the camping spurs. The Army Corp of Engineers close their campgrounds too. Even in early October I have most campgrounds to myself. Call the ranger district for the area of the BWCA that you plan to visit, it’s pretty slow up there in the winter, they should have time to talk. They’d have a list if there are any camping options. Unless you’re driving freeway, stick to daylight hours anyplace north of St Paul due to deer strikes. At least the rut will be over when you’ll be here. Hwy 35 from Iowa to Duluth will be well taken care of. Same for Hwys 61 and 53 north out of the Duluth area and towards the BWCA. Expect side roads off of 35/53/61 to be slippery and ice covered. It’ll be a pleasant surprise if they’re not. I’ve never seen anyone use chains in Mn. Studded tires are illegal for residents. Everything east of Duluth over to Sault Ste. Marie, MI is pretty desolate. You’ll probably take highway 2 east out of Superior, WI after heading south out of the BWCA. It’s a two lane state highway. Don’t assume gas stations will be open late. LOTS of deer on that road. I haven’t been east of The Soo at all, so I can say what it looks past there. I’ve driven my motorcycle around Lake Superior in the summer. I would not want to tow my camper around it in the winter. No driving up there after dark. If a storm comes through, it can be hours before a tow truck is available. They might have to come from a considerable distance and will be backed up. Plan on spending the night in the ditch if you go off the road late in the day. Cell service is spotty away from the freeway in MN, WI and in the UP. It seems to switch between Verizon and AT&T depending where you are. If I was making the trip, I’d lean heavily on our Harvest Host subscription. It’s more likely a business would have a place for you to park compared to public camping facilities. Hope this helps. It can get VERY cold. I used to live in Duluth. It can be below 0° for weeks, especially as you go north. Let me know if you need anything else. Good Luck and be flexible.

Amen Steve!! 👍🏻👍🏻😊

Diesel $4.09 here this morning.

$2.59 regular at Costco, Pooler (Savannah) Georgia, this morning.

I agree. We both camped in very cold temperatures coming back in November and the Truma furnace was able to keep me warm even at 5°

From what I’ve seen over the years, the number of owners who regularly camp in severe conditions is small. In the beginning that was probably just a few. As more and more trailers are built and sold that number is increasing, although still a small minority. Most of us that do camp in very cold weather do it for short periods of time because we don’t find that kind of cold enjoyable. Voicing these issues by those who like consistent cold weather camping is enlightening and I’m sure Oliver is noticing. Maybe these suggestions will result in meaningful cold weather capability improvements. Extra insulation in the right spots is not expensive. An HVAC expert could help re-engineer the heat/ducting design. It seems to be to be a cost effective way to increase cold weather capability. Mike

Good suggestion. Oliver has already chosen to install Truma Varioheat furnaces in all 2023 models. I believe the improvement in cold-weather performance in trailers with that furnace are due to Truma's insistence on use of Truma's specified ducting and design, including the return air vent in the bathroom. But, our experience camping with our Varioheat-equipped Oliver in single digit overnight temps above 5000 feet indicates that additional improvements, including more insulation in critical areas and additional furnace return air vents, could move the Oliver toward becoming a true "4-season trailer" even in more extreme climates. I believe Oliver does care about improving the quality of its products as the model years go by, and so would welcome the input. In my judgment, the Oliver is already superior to Airstream's offerings, or we would own an Airstream. Such improvements may not cost much more during production, and yet could push Oliver even further ahead of its competition.

Hi this is Bill again with an update. My wife Nancy and I have pretty much narrowed it down to the furnace and not the thermostat. Yesterday when we should have been eating turkey we spent most of the day out in the trailer. We got some smoke candles to see where the return air was coming from. The rear most air duct is situated only about 2 feet from the return air duct. With smoke candles we determined that a large amount of the heated air coming out of the duct would get sucked back into the return before it ever had a chance to warm the trailer. We theorized that this may be causing the furnace to over heat. So we decided to block the return air grill with duct tape and remove the front dinette seat to see what would happen. It greatly improved the air flow returning the air through the open front seat. But the short cycle was not improved. After playing with different return air options I believe I will make a return vent on the face of the rear dinette seat under the table. This area is a better choice than the front seat because the return air has little to no obstructions going back to the furnace. I plan to install a return about 1/4 inch off the floor so it will pull the cold air directly from the floor not 6 inches above the floor as it is designed now. Next we removed the supply grills and inspected the flex pipe and left the grills off to see if they were producing to much back pressure, nothing changed. We then replace the propane tank with a new full tank, nothing changed. Then we removed the awning side bed to let as much air into the furnace as possible, nothing changed. But we did figure out that the flame is going out about 2 seconds after it ignite's then relights 10 seconds later then goes out again and re-lights again about 6 times in 5 minutes this continues until the thermostat shuts the furnace off when the desired temperature is reached. Next I removed the sail switch and cleaned some lint off, nothing changed. I contacted Oliver and they were of no help at all they said to contact Dometic directly as it is a warrantee issue with Dometic and not an installation issue that would be covered by Oliver. So I went to a local Dometic service center and they said that they can not do any warrantee work because they do not sell Olivers. Gee thats nice seeing how no one sells Olivers. But they did tell me that they believe its the control board as it is a common problem and it should be replaced under warrantee. The other possible cause could be either the sail switch or the flame sensor. So I have a phone call into Dometic and filled out a work ticket we will have to wait until Monday to see what they will do. If Katanapilot happens to see this post, I see in your picture you have a RV7A I built a Vari Eze a Long Ez and an RV7, Ive sold them all and bought a BMW 1200GS and an Oliver, go figure! Hence the email N227EZ@gmail.com Bill

The cold tire pressure listed on your door sticker should be calibrated to your GVW and rated axle weights, so there's no need to go over that unless your manual says otherwise. On my dually, I actually lower my rear tires slightly below the sticker pressure in the off-season - when I'm not towing or carrying cargo. I put them back up to the sticker pressure in the spring. If I don't do that they wear in the center of the tread from overinflation over the winter.

I saw Diesel at $5.85 gal at local station last night. Regular gas (87) was $3.13 gal