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I am new at this Oliver thing! I got too excited.

All good advice but it's all about getting the planets to line-up and your jaw and tongue in the right place when doing this task.

I wanted to let everybody know that Anita has had an accident inside her home. She fell while descending a flight of stairs to her basement and has sustained a hip fracture. She endured a 10 hour procedure to remove hardware placed during a (years ago) surgery after car accident before her hip could be repaired. She states she is currently in a lot of pain. I know she is facing months of rehab and recovery. She is hopeful she will be well enough and her doctors will allow her to come to Guntersville in May. Please keep Anita in your thoughts and prayers as she works her way through this difficult time.

We just returned from a week on the Oregon Coast. During our return trip to Idaho, we encountered several miles of freshly sanded snow/slush as we drove across Tombstone Pass. It coated the back end of our Ollie with fine grit. We also found that sand-laden water had worked its way through the rear window and left a trail of grit from the bottom of the window downward across the belly band. When I asked Oliver Service how to reseal the rear window to prevent this from happening again, Jason Essary advised me to check if the weep holes were clogged. Sure enough, the weep holes had gotten packed with fine road sand, which apparently allowed the sand/water mix to get inside. Cleaning the weep holes out with a jet of water was the solution, not re-sealing the window. Lesson learned: If you find a leak around a window, the first thing to check is the weep holes!

A. The PD4060 charger is a smart sensing charger it will know when the battery is full and shut off charging and stay in storage mode. "The built-in Charge Wizard automatically selects one of four operating modes: BOOST, NORMAL, STORAGE, DESULFATION." It's likely your solar suitcase charge controller also is smart and senses when to stop or turn into trickle charge mode. Given those two constraints you're OK running both together. In our Hull 505 we don't have a solar cutoff switch so we always are having solar and shore power at the same time and have never had a overcharging issue. (We have changed Hull 505 from the PD4XXX series charge/converter to the Xantrex 2000W inverter.) B. I think the only way you'll do all 3 charging sources is if your truck is hooked up to your trailer and running, at the same time you're hooked up to either a generator / or / shore power...and of course solar. If you did that all at the same time and each leg is fused properly and each leg has a SMART charger that sense the battery level and shut down charging to trickle only once charged you'll be ok. Craig

I pray for you, Anita, in the name of Jesus, that your pain would diminish, your procedures be guided by the hand of God, that your recovery is swift, and that you are restored to even an improved and stronger physical condition than before. Amen.

I've always had a habit (good or bad?) of hitting the anode threads with a few wraps of teflon tape to get a good seal before the install.

...and the "Smash Burgers"! HA!

Hey Wandering Sagebrush Love your pups. We are on our third Chessie (one at a time spanning almost 30 years). I think we would miss our sweet and very hard headed Chessie's if we had a different bread. What would the meaning of life be with a dog that actually listened all the time? I grew up in Baker Ore until my mid-teens. Could not have loved it more growing up with the outdoors in my backyard. I feel lucky to have this unbelievable experience before moving but enabled me to gain a broader lens on the world. Came back to go to school at EOSC - now called EOU. We still spend a lot of time in far Eastern Ore from the Wallowa's to the Alorvd desert. Below are a few images at virtue flats (near the Oregon Trail Interpretive center/Baker), Three Forks Plateau in the Owhee and pup. What part of Eastern Oregon is your home? Best of luck and hope you love your Oliver.

Take the old rod and cut off the nut portion. Put it in a vice and cut half a dozen deep slots at 90 degrees to the threads. Clean the part with a wire brush or wire wheel. Now you have a 3/4” MPT thread chaser. Run that in and out repeatedly until all the crusty white deposits are gone. Now you will be able to screw the replacement rod win all the way! Flush thoroughly with water or compressed air (watch your eyes). Keep it with your spares kit so you can do it routinely. Sort of like this pic, but a hack saw is quicker and makes much better grooves. This method fixes the root problem, obstructions in the water heater threads, not the symptom, water leakage and difficulty installing it!. …. https://www.automation.com/en-us/articles/2012-1/root-cause-analysis-treat-the-problem-not-the-symp If you have soft water in your house, use that as much as possible to fill your Ollie tank, especially long term. It won’t make those nasty deposits in your water system, and you won’t need to perform the vinegar treatment. John Davies Spokane WA

Hey Brian, based on the equipment manual on Oliver University, the 2023 has 200 watt 24v Newpowa Solar panels included. I'm looking into buying 2 more of the same exact panel and installing them on the camper shell Yakima rails and doubling my solar capacity in the combined rig. I'll have to figure out the charging system and connections once I move forward with the project. I like what you are trying to do with the supplemental solar panels and the Ollie.

Bigfoot was my second choice when we were shopping fiberglass.

Bigfoot and Oliver

I am very familiar with the "trick", when I said I think they are in parallel, I meant I don't know if these are 24 v or 12v panels. I am assuming they are 12v. The Victron MPPT controller can take either 12 or 24 volt panels so it would make sense if you put them in parallel to keep the voltage at 12v but sum the current. I am not the most fluent when it comes to solar panel install and I have not had much time to explore the package on my own trailer. Thanks for the post -- Brian

Now I know where steaks are served! 😊

@Frank C yes, good eyes!

I like my 17” Blackstone too! I carry both it and the Weber when we camp. Mike

The other one at 3:11 isn’t an Oliver (note the window on the front of the trailer). It’s one of the other similar white fiberglass hull campers, Casita, Escape or Scamp, but they are part of the fiberglass camper extended family 🙂. And the one at 3:43 is the same one as the 3:11 mark, the road just looped around back to that one.

@Steve Morris Steve, The brand of solar panels is Newpowa, I "think" they are in parallel. As for the Victron Multiplus II, I was told they looked into is and it is too large to fit in the space where the Xantrex inverter/charger is and there was no better place to put it. Brian

Oliver offers a yearly maintenance package for our customers. The maintenance items included in this package are things that need to be performed for typical camper use at least once per year. This does not mean that this is the only time of the year that you will need or have to perform some of the these maintenance items. Some customers may be able to go longer than one year for some of the items as maintenance is based on usage & environment. Many of the items have been added to our yearly maintenance list because so many people do not perform them and we felt it was best to perform it once per year rather than never. A/C Filter Cleaning: We perform this in the yearly maintenance but in dry environments it should be done weekly. A/C Condenser Coil: Recommended with Dometic A/C at least once per year however depending on the environment of use it could need to be cleaned as often as 2-4 times per year. Birds can also make nests inside when left unused for a period which would also require cleaning. Exterior Caulking: We recommend doing this at least once per year. Depending on the use and environment it may need to be done sooner or if you keep the camper stored half of the year inside then you may be able to go two years. If you do not caulk every year, we recommend that you at least inspect the caulk. Furnace Cleaning: Basic cleaning should be done once per year however insects can invade and build nests that would require cleaning as needed. Plumbing Decalcification: We recommend at least once per year but depending on hard water use & gallons used you may find that it is necessary to perform this 3-6 times per year. Some areas are known for extremely hard water content and you may have to decalcify once per month or use a water softener. Water Filtration systems do not soften water. Water Heater Decalcification: We recommend at least once per year but again depending on use you may have to perform this 2-4 times per year. The Truma water heater will flash when decalcification is necessary however once the unit needs to be decalcified you must stop use and perform the steps. The Suburban water heater does not provide a warning and you will need to periodically drain & inspect. Blade Valve Lubrication: We would recommend lubricating valves about every 2-3 months to ensure best results. Repack Bearings: Dexter recommends every 12 months or 12,000 Miles, whichever comes first. If you drive more than 12,000 miles per year we would highly recommend having the bearings repacked by the 12,000 mile point. Failure to repack the bearings in time can result in failure & breakdown. Grease EZ Flex: This should be done every 3 months or 3,000 miles whichever comes first. 7-Pin: The 7-Pin should be inspected every time you connect it. Water intrusion can cause corrosion which will lead to issues. A freshly cleaned 7-Pin that has water intrusion can corrode as quickly as just a few days. Coupler: Lubricating the coupler should be done as often as needed. Lubrication on an exposed part does not last. The coupler does not have to be greased but a good lubricant should be used to ensure the spring & lever operation works smoothly. Some rust buildup is normal on a steel coupler. Bulldog recommends greasing the ball pocket however Andersen does not recommend greasing for the ball. Grease will not prevent wear but it will help with rust. Tire Pressure: This should be checked every time you pull the camper. Air, over time, can escape thru the sidewall of the tires. Improper tire pressure can cause the tires to wear sooner. Window Tracks: Depending on where you camp you may need to clean the window tracks out as often as every week. Tree debris & sap can start to buildup in the tracks on day one. Once the white window glazing is left uncleaned for a period of time it will remain stained with mildew. The design of the window track makes it near impossible to completely clean the entire track as part of it is hidden under the stationary window. Air helps to free any debris on that side of the track & running water through it with the glazing removed. You can take a rag and clean as much of the track as you can but don't fret if some staining is left. The primary objective is to remove as much debris as possible that will block the weep holes. If the weep holes get blocked then water will backup and overflow to the interior. Sanitize Fresh Water System: If you leave the camper sitting for a period of time it is a good idea to sanitize before hand. This will keep algae from growing in your tank when water is left sitting for too long. You should also sanitize before using the camper after it has set for a long period of time (2-3 months). Deodorize/Clean Black & Grey Tanks: This should be done with every fill (Complete tank fill, not a single use). When setting up camp & using the tanks it is best practice to add treatment to the tanks. Black tank treatment helps breakdown waste during use but once the tank is flushed the treatment is gone. The black tank should be allowed to fill up with waste during use and a single waste dump once the tank is near full. This allows time for the waste to breakdown and a better waste dump. *Never connect to a dump station with your black tank valve open as to dump while in use. This will cause the water to flow quicker than the solids leaving the solids behind in the tank. As is with all maintenance, the better you maintain your camper the better performance you will receive. Failure to properly maintain will result in more issues. All the listed items above are recommended maintenance for the best camping experience. The yearly maintenance package is to complete required and recommended maintenances at least once per year but should not be considered the only time you maintain your camper. There are other items that should be done regularly that we do not perform in the yearly maintenance. Some of these items are: Fan Cleaning: Dust & grease from cooking inside the camper can accumulate on the fans. You should clean the fans periodically as needed. Failure to clean the fans can cause unwanted noise & performance issues. Wash & Wax: This is NOT performed during our yearly maintenance package but we do recommend that you wash your camper frequently & wax it at least once per year. Again, waxing once per year is the minimum and it is better to wax twice per year. If you really want to keep the exterior looking its best than it is recommended to wash frequently & use a good spray on wax such as Duragloss Aquawax every time you wash. The spray on wax does not however take place of the old fashioned wax that should be done once or twice per year unless you are washing & spray waxing the camper every week. Black Tank Flush: There is a water inlet dedicated just for flushing the black tank. This is something that is best done every time you drain the tank. Water Pump Filter Check: Inspect the water pump filter before or after every camping trip. The filter's purpose is to catch unwanted debris that may be in the tank from entering the fresh water pipes.

Welcome to the forum. All Ford F-150’s will require the Andersen, as do all the light duty trucks.

We have found the coolest new tow vehicle. A restored 1968 Oliver 1250 tractor. We can also use it to clear an area to camp in.

Has anyone towed their Elite II with a Mitsubishi Mighty Max? Thinking it might get some high m.p.g. going downhill (so long as I can keep the rig straight). For uphills I am hoping for a miracle. 🤪

It was just a few years ago that a couple of sage wise Oliver owners dipped their toes into the Lithium world. Since then, following their foot steps, now many of us have DYIed the conversion to Lithium. Fortunately many of us RoF's (Retired Ole Farts) are now sporting the "Lithium Grin" and have survived the conversion process mostly intact. Those of us in the Boomer Generation that grew up with slide rules as our favorite calculating device, often were able to figure out the conversion process. Having mechanical and electrical power wiring skills made it possible. But, like myself, we lack the fundamental understanding of how the underlying technologies play or don't play together well. I hope that this thread can be used to help owners better understand how THEIR systems can, or should not "Play Well Together". So I ask forgiveness of the super tech savvy younger owners as what may happen is a series of "How will my system Play Together" questions. Likely mine, and a bunch more down the line, will remind you of the dumb questions we see their customers asking at the bottom of Amazon.com products..... This starter post is for Hull 342, our "Ollie". We purchased our 2018 OE2 with Lead Acid batteries and have a Honda EU2200 inverter generator.. This past summer, we successfully made these upgrades: PD 4045 to PD 4060 2000W Inverter to Renogy 3000 watt Three 100 AH Battleborns Victron 12/12-30 DC to DC charger (#4 AWG Cabling) Victron 712 Smart Renogy 200 Watt Solar Suit Case. I use the DC to DC charger when on the highway only. I use solar when camping. Significantly less frequently we use Shore/Gen power to charge. Questions: A. When on Shore Power OR running our Honda, is it advisable to use the Progressive Dynamics 4060 converter and solar suit cases at the same time? B. The Battleborns collectively can charge at up to 300 amps. Our total max possible charge capability is 102 amps (PD 4060 = 60 amps, DC to DC 30 Amps and Solar Suit Case effectively 12 Amps). There have been a time or two when we were in a jamb for time and I really wanted to maximize charging our batteries: Is it advisable to fire off all of the systems simultaneously? If not, which should I safely only use? Thanks, GJ

Hello to the Oliver Community! We are Diana and Steve Parsons, currently Airstream owners (2012 Flying Cloud 25 FB), but have been wanting an Oliver since we learned of them via Air Forums. One of the things we need to figure out is living in a smaller trailer with to large German Wirehair Pointers. If anyone has tips on how to make it work, we’d love to hear from you. Kind Regards to all, Steve

At the 3:16 mark in this video - who might this be?

You should probably consult with your doctor as soon as possible. You are exhibiting the early symptoms of Ollie fever 🙂.

Chris, That sounds like an interesting approach. I was actually thinking of installing a flex panel with about 100w onto the top of my camper shell (no rack up there yet). I think overall, you will be impressed by how quickly these panels put power back into these batteries. We still need to generate some use cases after we really get into the camping season. Until then, I am just guessing. Brian

Anita is wonderful. She stepped in for us when our initial salesperson was indisposed and she was a great help. We wish her a quick recovery.

If you hover over the activity button in the nav bar at the top, you will have a row pop up that has "unread content" in it.

We put the Lagun tabletop in the down ("puppy position") as we prep for Ollie-slumber time... But Magnus hasn't figured out (yet) that the tabletop is his designated sleeping area - he's still curling up at my feet! ..."DAD! I'm tired, get your sh**t together and let's hit the rack!"

Another way I've looked at the system's performance capacity is with the equation, Max Power (Volts) x Max. Power Current (Amps) = Peak Power (Watts). From Mossey's pic, that would be: 18.5 Volts x 8.7 Amps = 160.1 Watts Peak Power per panel So for Ollies with these Zamps, theoretically, the solar system performance under ideal conditions is 320.2 Watts going into the solar charge controller (minus any nominal DC line loss between the panels and the controller)... My question is, does anyone know if OTT has looked at using panels with micro-inverters integrated at the panel?

I'm thinking that Mike has a good first step to consider before making a thread chaser. My suggestion would be to take a pair of vice grips and grab the anode securely. Then using the leverage of the vice grip you will be better to insert and turn the new anode squarely to the water heater threads. If that does not work, then consider John D's cleaver idea. GJ

I think the second one is an Escape. They and the Bigfoots are more squared off. We ended up next to Bigfoot at a rest area last week.

Steaks are normal fare whether on the Weber or Blackstone!

The information on this sticker is needed to fill in the online SCC calculator. Mossey

It’s difficult to get it started. They weight of the anode tends to make it hard to keep it level. I insert it and then make an effort to support the bottom as I’m screwing it back in. It usually takes a minute or two. I’m sure there is a better way, maybe someone will share it. Mike

The first thing that I would do is to get my ladder out and take a picture of the information sticker on the roof top panels and your portable panel. Then you can check an online charge controller calculator and determine if the 100/50 will do the job. I do believe Victron SC’s have the ability to throttle down the in coming power to protect itself. And Craig’s advise is the current voice of experience as he is using similar equipment to yours. Mossey

...happy this ended?

Have fun! Imo, camping in the driveway would be better than not camping at all.....

We pick up our LE II next month. Not sure how it will go with our two Tollers but regardless, it's going to happen! We used to have Chessies but, as they've passed over the last decade, have transitioned to Tollers due to their smaller size (about 40-45 pounds). We spend a lot of time outside so as long as we wear them out it should be good!

You can buy low pressure quick connect hoses and adapters to use with your Oliver propane port. Here is an example. DOZYANT 12 feet Low Pressure Propane Quick-Connect Hose, RV Quick Connect Propane Hose, Quick Disconnect Propane Hose Extension - 1/4” Safety Shutoff Valve & Male Full Flow Plug for RVs https://a.co/d/3EucL5u

Thank you. The logistics are going to be a little fun now with the new pick up schedule. Now we pick up the Wednesday before the rally. We may be picking up and then heading to the rally. That'll be fun and a steep learning curve. Regardless, baring anything unforeseen, we will come to the rally and celebrate every day we have. Can't wait to meet everyone.

We are all here for you and your family in times like this so lean on in there. I lost my younger brother over 10 years ago. My mother always said that parents should not outlive their children. Our prayers are for you and yours. Can we look forward to seeing you next month at the Rally in Guntersville?

Thanks everyone for your kind words and support. We are all doing the best we can considering. Nobody saw this coming, totally blindsided, and too fast to comprehend. Strange how a moment of joyous anticipation can be quenched by tragedy. My heart truly aches for my sister in law Linda, and her children who have lost their husband and father without warning. The youngest of 7 is only 11, and they were all very close to dad. We will get through this together and life will go on and joy will return. Larry left to join our Lord at about 8:30 pm today, and did so very peacefully with Linda and children by his side. I will spend the next few days helping them cry a little and hopefully laugh a lot at the unforgettable person Larry was. Many wonderful memories will be shared in the days ahead of a life and person whom we all loved. My part as the remaining patriarch of our family will be a source of strength and reassurance to those who are just learning about the hard part of life. I will do my best to be strong for them even though I'm crushed by the loss of my only brother. Our very frail mother will be burying her youngest, I know she struggles to understand why she has lived to endure this. But she is also thankful to be able to console the grandchildren. Larry is also survived by two older sisters that share in our loss and grief. We are a strong family and we will all work through this process together. Sorry for spilling my feelings here on the forum, but I'm truly crushed and leaning on you all for the moment. Again thank you for all your kind thoughts, words and support. God's blessings to you all.

@Ollie-Haus Chris, you and Stacy hang in there, brother! Our thoughts and prayers are with y'all and your family....

Oh, I'm so sorry to read that, Chris! Such a sudden loss for your and his family. Our thoughts are with you.

Mark, Welcome to Oliver ownership and the forum. For your truck specifics, look at the RECEIVER of your F150 Hitch for a Rating Sticker. The one below is from a 2018 F150 with max tow package. It shows two sets of numbers, Weight Distributing: States max trailer weight and max tongue weight for the hitch if you are using a weight distribution trailer hitch (like the Anderson used on Olivers). In this case 12,200 lb trailer and 1,220 lbs direct downward force of tongue weight. An Elite II full of food and gear weighs between 5500-6500 lbs. The tongue weight is about 10% of that and can range from 525-700 lbs depending on how you've loaded the trailer. (10% of Trailer Wt calculated as tongue weight is a goal for a very stable tow with the Oliver Elite II) Weight Carrying: States the max trailer weight when you are NOT using a weight distribution hitch. This is just dropping a trailer on the ball and driving away. Note it's set to a 5000 lb trailer (like the Elite single axle) and 500lb's max tongue weight. Most of the time you'll find that a loaded Oliver Elite II will have greater than a 500lb tongue weight. (Ours runs in the 620+ range because we have a front basked full of gear. Implication: If you have an F150 with these receiver ratings, you should be using a weight distributing Anderson hitch with your Oliver Elite II for safety purposes. Hull 505 Galway Girl Craig Short

Mark - I've never felt the need for a sway bar for my F-150 and I have both the max payload and max tow packages on my FX4. Ford does require the Andersen weight distribution hitch (WDH) because the hitch weight will be over 500 pounds. For what its worth - all of the other 1/2 ton trucks also require a WDH. While the Andersen does have an incorporated anti-sway function I'm certain that you will never use it since Olivers do not sway. Bill p.s. as far as wiring series versus parallel - simply Google it and you will get a bunch of diagrams showing you the way this is done.

The only weight distribution hitch that works with the Elite II is the Andersen. I expect your F150 owners manual requires a weight distribution hitch when towing over 5K lbs. If so, you need the Andersen. We use an Andersen with our 2019 Tundra tow vehicle. Once you get used to it, easy-peasy.