Leaderboard

We are very happy to report that our 13500 BTU Truma Aventa AC retrofit was seamlessly completed today. A special thank you to Director of Service Jason Essary, Mike Sharpe, and Tucker the technician that did an excellent job on our install. Just amazing work and we are so grateful. A Big Thank you to the entire Oliver Service Team! David and Kathy Patriots🇺🇸 New Truma Aventa decibel reading on high setting. Former Dometic Penguin on high setting. New Truma CP Plus Control panel. https://www.truma.com/int/en/products/truma-operating-systems/truma-cp-plus

Please don't ask if it's OK to tow an Elite II with a Kia Sorento. There are thousands of hours of written discussion here and on other forums about towing. No way! It’s a 1980 Subaru Brat, but it has really big tires😊

I mentioned that I was happy that these are 30” wide. That is the exact width of the mis-labeled “Twin” mattresses, which are really Bunk sized. That third pad was *exactly* the right size, all you have to do is cut a curve to match the wall. When traveling solo, I can put gear on top of that mattress without worrying about hurting the fabric, or scarring the gelcoat, or the hassle of removing completely and storing the mattress. A zero gravity lounger works, or a full sized CLAM shelter, or a cased rifle, or plastic bins with paper products or linens. But there are no tie downs straps, I would NOT recommend putting a fridge or anything really heavy there. It would become a nasty missile in a collision. Wedging the item(s) against the front bulkhead will minimize that hazard. I highly recommend this mod, once you sleep with the added thermal insulation you will thank me. John Davies Spokane WA

The Red "Jelly Bean" Hull #010 owned by Brandi Schaffer is the lowest numbered hull that I know that is still on the road. It was originally delivered in January of 2008. She said that she'll be at the rally. Larry and Betty Harmon (mountainborn) bought the first Oliver sold Hull #003. It was delivered in September of 2007. I have seen it once since Larry sold it over 10 years ago. The Black "Gambler's Edition" Hull #009 was spotted behind an old building in Reno or Las Vegas several years ago. I don't have any more current info about it. But, if you take it one step further and look at who has the lowest Hull number AND is the original owner that would be Paul and Sherry Cavanaugh (SeaDawg) in their Hull # 012 originally delivered in February of 2008.

I believe it’s a Virginian Tiger Moth. Maybe hitching a ride to the Rally! 😄

As the nominator of SeaDog to this question, I suggest you provide them a ten-year free subscription to the OTT Owner's Forum. GJ

@Katjo: We also bought our Ollie used after a couple years of ogling over our friend's, reading threads, selling our SOBs, and then finally dropped the hammer on "Casablanca" back in March. So, we're new at the OTT ownership thing - but we're really loving everything about it. Been doing quite a bit of business with Ryder back at the Mothership's Parts Team - he's been helping us out routinely on many levels. One surprise we had (and there's been quite a few) was discovering the secret compartment below the pantry hatch about 7 weeks after we brought CB home. The PO didn't mention it during our walk-around inspection/intro. But inside (SURPRISE!) was a brand new kitchen sink cutting board made by Foy! I had just previously made one for my wife from an extra bamboo cutting board we had - so like I've said to her many times over the years, "ONE is None and TWO is ONE!" HA! Looking forward to hearing some more experiences along these lines from others! Cheers, y'all!

Depending on lots of things, this may or may not be a good idea. What size Generator? Single rear receiver or two? Will you be planning to move it from the hitch to run it? Where will you plug it in? You do know you will have to install a transfer switch? I don't personally know any who has done this. What's wrong with using a front basket?

Can you post a Summit Racing Part number or number for the Gorilla Lugs? Just want to ensure I get the right ones when I make my order. Thanks! Brian

Use your onboard stabilizers AKA jacks to lift all the tires clear of the ground, have the store tech place his hydraulic ones under each axle. This isn’t exactly rocket science. Lots of us do this, but never ever crawl underneath without additional supports. But it is easier to just take the wheels down there. John Davies Spokane WA

I learned today that ya'll are birders, but moth-ers 2? Sorry, I couldn't resist :)

I have been experimenting with extra insulation for the last year, using a blue eggcrate foam sleeping pad. It worked great, but looked awful against my tan cushions and bed covers… Plus it was only 24 “ wide. I found new khaki Mil Surplus pads, 30” wide. I ordered three. Why insulate? The foam: Cushions all those the rock hard surfaces, no more banging elbows or toes. Ouch. Keeps out the chill or heat of the hard wall. The bed is remarkably more comfortable for sleeping! It BLOCKS the cold air dropping down from the windows. This is a big deal. Removes or installs easily in a couple of minutes. Helps keep the covers tucked in. It coordinates with my old tan blind frames. They don’t look so odd now. Provides cargo padding, see next post. Use a sharp razor knife over a big sheet of cardboard and a long straight edge, I used a 48” aluminum carpenters level. . Cut in half lengthwise, one pad provided enough enough material for one bed, fully wrapped. My trailer has 10 inch thick mattresses, so if you have skinnier ones you may have to order more pads. They need to tuck into the gap between mattress and wall, and up under the window blinds and faux granite to hold them securely. Alternatively you could add a lot of velcro. My installation doesn’t need any. Original blue compared to the new stuff, the blue is way way thick, the new is 1/4”. More…. John Davies Spokane WA

Then @SeaDawg gets the prize then, right @ScubaRx? We just don't know what that prize would be...?

We bought our Oliver used. We did have some challenges in the beginning, a voltage issue and knowing nothing about the workings of anything let alone the voltage in the camper we were thrown into a needle in a haystack problem!! Many people in the forum as well as Jason at Oliver spent hours and days with us on the phone trying to troubleshoot. We finally found the loose wire that was the culprit! Since then it’s been perfect. What pleased us the most was even though we bought used, Oliver went above and beyond helping us. We were very impressed with the help we received.❤️

Wayfinder: I like your chock set between the wheels. I typically put them outside of the axle sets. Yea, a tomato/tomatto discussion. Your way though would require me to bend over just once to place both of them. YEA With a "tag line" between them, it would allow me to easily allow carry two sets of two in one hand. That saves travel time box to wheels and back for a second run to the other side. YEA X2 Thanks for the picture! GJ

Your AFA chocks are nice. $50 for four. I like the design and think the price is reasonable due to the extra material and forming costs it would entail. We carry in the front box of Ollie: Four of the below Harbor Freights (at $32 for four) A milk crate box of blocking 2 1/2 gallons of generator fuel Plus some other miscellaneous "stuff" The above fits nicely with room to spare. It is possible that the larger AFA's could as well, but it would be a tight fit.

I read this article this morning and thought it would be good to share with the group. Eighteen parks broke annual visitation records in 2021, according to National Park Service data. One — Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas — saw record visitors last year. Overall visits to national parks jumped by 5% in 2022 versus the year prior, to 312 million recreation visits. Some of the most heavily trafficked parks have instituted advance reservation systems to address congestion in popular hikes and roads. A few require reservations for full park access. They include: Acadia, Arches, Glacier, Haleakalā, Rocky Mountain, Yosemite and Zion National Parks. The free permits and reservations generally come with a processing fee of $2 and up. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/10/national-park-trips-you-may-need-advance-reservations-and-permits.html

Actually...I googled and you are absolutely right on!

Sorry, all the stickers are stuck, order your own…. John Davies Spokane WA

A bit off topic...I was inspecting OTT's repair when we got back to spot 2 and ventured across this moth resting on the back of our trailer. Beautiful! Have not seen one of these before. It could be OTT's mascot :) Color coordinated even. John

That's cool, we'll probably miss each other tomorrow. Talking with @Patriot I referred to the influx of owners at the Oliver camp ground as the "Pre rally rally". 😆🍻

Black tank hose

Thanks Chris, it’s a game changer! Travel safe and we are fired up for you both on your special day tomorrow! David

It depends on definition. @Bshaffer owns #10, and is a second or third owner, and has done amazing renovations on the ultimately cute red jelly bean, and is sometimes active here on the forum. I see her more often when I check in on Facebook group. We have #12, as original owners. Pete , @bugeyedriver is just a month or so younger than our hull #12. (14, I think, and original owner.) #3 contacted me years ago. I don't know if they still have it. #3 is the storied trailer owned by Mountainborn, where it all really began, for marketing. We bought ours, after seeing a grainy video on another site, and visiting the factory with the late Robert Partee. I've been in touch with a number of original and second owners over the years. Still friends with a number of those from our "small group" days of camping together at unofficial rallies. Very close friends with a handful, whether they still own their Ollie or not. Others, we camp and sail with on a regular basis. (Obviously, we're all older. Some don't camp anymore.) A number of the early trailers are still out there, somewhere, but not in touch with the forum. Truth is, our now 15 and 16 year old trailers have stood the "test of time." And, it's been exciting for all of us "older" gen owners to watch the progression and evolution from the original Elite I. We tend to pick and choose pur updates, but continued ownership, and the reliability, is a testament to the product. Personally, I can't say enough about the support and family feeling we've received from Oliver over the now many years. It's a great corporate culture. So many great people. Before Mountainborn, I never knew there was a Hohenwald, Tennessee. Now, it's one of our favorite towns.

@Brian and Brandelyne: They're sold in a 4-pack, FYI. I'm on travel now and they arrived since I've been away - here's a screenshot of the tracking page:

Hi Eric, there are several Elite II’s in the SATX area. We are in Fair Oaks Ranch near Boerne. Our trailer is in the driveway prepping to leave for the rally next week. If you want to come up and see it, shoot me a PM. Ours is 7 years old, so most of the components/applicances are now different but the feel of seeing the outside and hanging out inside is exactly the same. Maybe someone with a newer trailer in the area will chime in. Mike

Thank you so much! I will put that on my list of things to review with OTT. Safe travels! Brian

John, We just had our Truma installed and the (6) screws that are counter sunk holding the Truma cowling onto the unit is a design flaw which Oliver has addressed with Truma. These counter sunk holes will collect water which could result in a leak. The fix- Per Oliver service these counter sunk holes are now filled with a sealant by Oliver to preempt water intrusion. All new Olivers and retrofits get this sealant. This sealant is not permanent and can be removed to access the fasteners. Unfortunately, I don’t recall the name of the sealant. I will try and ask Oliver Service staff the name of the sealant they are using tomorrow. We are still at Camp Oliver giving our newly installed Truma a two day shake down before departing. Will this sealant require regular visual inspection and maintenance? My guess is like any other sealant yes. Patriot🇺🇸

Also, Truma told me they charge $29 for the set of 2 filters.

Wow all my brothers are looking out for me! That's way cool John. If you are still there tomorrow we'll get to meet in person. Glad everyone is safe in their Ollies! Thanks buddy!

He is incredibly talented!!!

Well we are finally ready for delivery day-take 2. It's been a long four weeks but we are ready and excited to finally pick up Ollie-Haus. I'll be pulling out Wednesday at 5am for a 1pm appointment. Truck is loaded and I've got my list of questions and a notepad to help remember the flood of information I'm about to receive. Stacie is staying home this go-round, she's got work commitments she can't get out of due to vacation scheduled next week for the rally. I think we will be the newest LE2 at the rally, unless someone newer hasn't announced their attending yet. Home to Indiana on Friday if all goes well and than turn around on Monday and head back south with wife and doggies loaded. It's been a long six months since we ordered, and yet it's been a whirlwind of activity preparing for this day. Looks like the weather is going to be decent for the drive down, love that I'm able to make the trip during the Spring season. Thanks to our friend @Patriot, who is down at Oliver Service for an AC upgrade, we have been given a glimpse of our completed LE2 as he was able to identify it in the holding area next to the Oliver camp sites and send us a picture last evening. It was the only one with burgundy Oliver Graphics. Stacie started crying when she saw it. I think she's more excited than I am! Thanks a million David and Kathy! After years of planning we are finally at the threshold of a new chapter of fun and adventure. Look out America, here comes a couple of crazy old people prowling the back roads for adventure!🤣

Genius!

When I added one in 2017, it was also too strong. I moved the magnet from the outside of the dinette seat to inside and it works perfect, plus you can’t see anything on the side of the seat, just the white magnet on the bottom of the door. RV Door Magnet on Amazon Mike

So you lie down on the floor for back pain relief? Does that work very well? How often do you do it? I am in the Oliver “Do What Works Best, Not What Looks Like a Professionally Staged Home” camp. If it does its job well, go for it. It looks as if you are in the same camp 😉 John Davies Spokane WA

My spare is a different size.

Here's a photo of one of the radio telescopes from a distance, with people standing at the base for scale: ...and here's a view from one of the trails in the campground: The road you see is route 60. If you look closely you can see a railroad track crossing the highway and some of the dishes of the array. The dishes are moved between permanent positions using a special rail car. Here's a photo when standing at that junction:

From Michelin Service Site for those owners with Michelin Tires. ———////——-////——-/// A few milestones and tips: 1. Keep five years in mind After five years or more in use, your tires should be thoroughly inspected at least once per year by a professional. 2. Ten years is a maximum If the tires haven't been replaced 10 years after their date of manufacture, as a precaution, Michelin recommends replacing them with new tires. Even if they appear to be in usable condition and have not worn down to the tread wear indicator. This applies to spare tires as well.

Hey All. My bad. Seadawg pointed out I was confusing pounds and gallons. I need a personal proofreader. Mabey a new year's resolution in the making?

If you define "extended period" as 6 days, our experience towing our new Elite II home from Hohenwald to Idaho in mid-November is instructive. We used the Varioheat furnace for 6 straight sub-freezing nights in Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Idaho, 4 of them above 4000' elevation. The overnight low on three of those nights was in the teens, and 9 degrees F once (in Colorado). The Varioheat adequately heated the cabin with the CP Plus wall control set at 68 degrees F, and more important to us, kept the underbelly of the trailer where the tanks and water lines run, above 38 degrees F. It ran almost constantly at night, which we suspect is because the trailer is not all that well insulated. It consumed about 1.5 gallons of propane per night. We figured that our two 5-gallon propane tanks allowed us to safely heat for 5 nights without refill. The exterior walls remained cold and sweated a bit, but we do not blame the furnace for that. That is to be expected where, unlike in a home, the supply air ducts are in the middle of the heated space, not along the walls. We remained warm enough (and both my wife and I like to sleep warm, so we used sleeping bags), but because we could not get very far away from the exterior walls when sleeping , we did not feel "cozy." We believe one reason the Varioheat furnace system kept the underbelly at least a few degrees above freezing is the addition of a return air vent from the bathroom to the open area under the front dinette seat. There has been extensive discussion on another thread suggesting that additional return air ducting from the cabin into the underbelly area will help improve Oliver furnace system performance. See: As my wife and I did not purchase the Oliver for winter use, we find the Varioheat furnace adequate for our needs. We do not believe it is undersized. We were just happy that it performed well enough to get us home in reasonable comfort, given our mid-November delivery date and the colder-than-average temps we encountered!

I have started a new thread on Generators aimed at gathering info and thoughts from owners about their generators. Especially the new manufacturers out there now. GJ

Champion inverter generators are pretty quiet. I’ve had two. Quiet on propane or gas.

Rivernerd, This past summer I installed the Hutch Mountain trifuel conversion kit - LP, LNG, gasoline.https://www.hutchmountain.com The Honda eu3000is runs whisper quiet off LP. We ran our gen in our initial shake down after the LP conversion and were pleased with how quiet it runs even while sitting in the gen basket. You are right about tradeoffs. The trade off with the Honda is it’s a bit heavy. The upside is no gasoline storage to be concerned with. Due to its size and weight it’s not so portable that a thief can just pick it up and walk away with it. Lifting it in and out of the gen tray takes two people with strong backs. We look forward to seeing how well the Honda runs the Aventa post install in May. I think it will be plenty of clean inverter gen power and run our Ollie fine.

I agree. I didn't know about the Truma Varioheat furnace until almost delivery date. It's a great furnace that worked well in sub freezing temperatures. We both got lucky with the Truma package being available for the last few trailers in the 2022 production run. I believe it was money well spent. John

I am editing this post to include two notes associated with the less expensive Houghton: Please be aware that this less expensive Houghton: Is significantly higher (13 11/16" vs 9") than the low profile one ($1500). Is also significantly lighter at 73 pounds than the low profile unit at pounds. As a result I changed my order to the Low Profile unit. GJ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ On Black Friday, and maybe still, for $917 we got one without heat (Us Hawaiian Residents are allergic to snow and cold) we got our Houghton, two remotes, tax, and shipping. Granted we will need to install. Looks like it requires a new T-stat, butyl tape, caulk and hopefully only four hours. And if it turns out as good as Katanapilot's did, we will be super happy! From talking, reading, and videos, the install is really straight forward with two exceptions: Lifting the units down and up. For that we have a stout oak tree with plenty of clearance, rope, pulley and cargo net. Understanding the heater re-connect as posted. (Tough being 4000 miles from our Ollie and planning projects.) GJ

Yes, in addition to the Truma Aventa AC, we have the Truma Varioheat furnace and the Truma Aquago water heater. They comprise the Truma upgrade package now offered by Oliver on 2023 models. Since the Truma Varioheat furnace is now standard on all Olivers, the "upgrade" part, for which a premium is charged, includes the Aventa AC and Aquago water heater components. We learned about the potential for the Truma AC upgrade from posts on this forum many months ago, so we asked our Oliver salesperson about it. We were advised that the AC upgrade came as part of a package, which required the Truma Aquago water heater as well. When we received our updated Deposit Receipt from Oliver which included the additional premium for the Truma upgrade, we learned that the $3800 upgrade also included the Truma Varioheat furnace. When we took delivery of the trailer, we saw that the packaging of those three Truma upgrades made sense: they are all centrally controlled by the Truma CP Plus wall control.

On the other hand: "German engineering quality" and "German reliability" are questionable. Over engineering and high build quality don't ensure reliability. I've owned a few..... Common control integration, is aka potential single point of failure. Truma protectionist service and parts distribution ensures extended down times and higher repair costs, when the time comes. No Aventa heating capability is potential deal breaker to complete showstopper. What's going on with this no soft starter policy? Don't they understand their target market? Recouping higher initial costs depends on the lifecycle of the equipment and the purchaser's perceived value. These could turn into negatives. I'm not trying to be argumentative, just offering a different perspective (opinion). All things considered, for some RVers, the Truma solutions may be a better choice when compared to the alternatives. Their appliance performance may be notable, but be aware of the negatives.

We are picking up a 2023 in FEB of this next year with the Truma option. Whether or not the much lighter and cheaper sub 2500W gensets will work with the "upgraded" AC has been a question for at least 6 months. Knowing they are now delivering Truma equipped units, I asked our Sales rep specifically about powering the AC off of a Honda 2200 and if anyone at Oliver had actually tested it, or any of the many other sub 2500W inverter Gensets readily available. The answer was "No we have not tested it, but we think it probably would work." He also noted that Truma recommends a 3000W generator as we've all read. I'm hoping someone actually hooks one up and verifies whether or not it can start it. Barring that, my plan (when I get back to AZ and warmer weather) will be to put my Fluke ammeter to good use and see what the peak inrush looks like on Shore Power.

We just scheduled with Mike Sharpe at Oliver Service for a May 8th install of the Truma Aventa Eco. May 8th was the next available opening in Service to have the install done. We already have reservations for the 2023 Oliver Rally at LGSP so we took the early May date for install. Mike said they will need our Ollie for 2-3 days to complete the install. He also said the Truma Aventa Eco also uses the existing internal condensate drain line incase anyone was wondering. We are really looking forward to a clean fit and factory finish. Oliver Service has always truly exceeded our expectations for any work performed in the past. If you’re interested you may want to give Mike at Oliver Service a call and get an install quote and hopefully get on the service install calendar. Patriot 🇺🇸 https://www.truma.net/air-conditioning-systems/truma-aventa-eco

I finally got some pictures of my spare tire modification. Since my trailer had the small sized spare tire and cover, I can not run the fiberglass cover over the full sized spare I now have. There is just enough room under the full sized tire to slip on the cloth tire cover. One slight advantage of the soft cover is that it doesn't stick out beyond the bumper like the fiberglass one does. I also upgraded all five wheels to the star wheel design in the pictures. The locking chain is fixed to the bracket behind the tire and goes through an eye bolt in front that will not allow the wing nut to be removed. If the tire is turned around, the wing nut and locking setup will stick out beyond the tire and the wing nut piece won't tighten up against the wheel to hold it securely. It might be better to change this whole bracket to a more conventional spare tire bracket that would mount the tire with the front out. This would allow for easy tire pressure checks and easier installation of the soft cover.