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The New England Mini-Rally was held from June 5 through June 11, 2023 at a 125 campsite campground in Boothbay Maine. 28 Oliver Owner's from all over New England were in attendence. Wednesday was a Oliver Trailer Open House and 8 couples visited the CG and were escorted to see the Olivers on site by Phil Anderson, OTT Sales Associate. There was scattered showers on 3 of the days but the other 4 days were generally partly cloudy. The campground was located on a river inlet to the Atlantic Ocean. Cast Iron Cooking Demostration - June Leslie, OTT Owner # 258 Pot Luck Supper Shore Line Hike at Porters Preserve - Walk Leader Jamie Rines, OTT Owner # 610 Bird Walk Leaders - William and Nancy Cormier, OTT Owner # 1265 PRESENTATIONS: Boondocking 101 - Presenter - Phil Andrews, OTT Sales and Daughter Charlie Cermanic Coating Presenters - Colin Rafferty & Galvin Luthringer, CGI Restoration of Fish Ladder at Damariscotta Miles Dam - Presenters Mark Becker & Deb Wilson, OTT Owners # 685 Optimizing the use of the WiFi Ranger & SkyPro - Presenter David Caswell - OTT Owner # 509 What's New at OTT and Questions and Answers - Presenter Phil Andrews, OTT Sales Presentation Audience: CornHole Tournament & Campers around the fire pit Lunch at Robinson Wharf Boothbay Craft Brewery Tap House Tour & Happy Hour New England Lobster Bake at the Campground More Olivers A Porsche can pull Elite II's

As many have said the real cost is going to be the labor from Oliver to do the different changes. I have the 390 AH lithium package simply because they were switching from the lifeblue to lithionics and I got the Lithionics at the old price. ($500 cheaper). The Lithionics are excellent batteries but there are many cheaper options that would work just as well. If considering changing the batteries I would also look at updating the wiring and adding a solar controller or sizing a new one one large enough for an external panel setup. Olivers factory wiring job under the streetside bed leaves much to be desired. Regarding the Truma upgrade I would consider looking at the Houghton that many of us have installed. It is just as quiet as the Truma but also includes a heat pump function (saves propane) that will keep you warm down to about 30 degrees. I was the one that got the quote for $5200 to change out the refrigerator. Way to expensive for me to consider so I will do it myself when the time comes. As always, upgrades depend on your ability, your checkbook or both!! 😂 John

We were driving out of Many Glacier National Park MT when we saw Mama Bear eating berries while JR was climbing a tree. The photo of Mama Bear did not turn out to well through the windshield. We did not stop because we were too close.

FYI, Just got my camping world flyer, Dometic Fresh jet 3 $1099. For club members and free shipping. That’s for the 13,500 BTU..they say that’s a $200.00 savings.. I,m not in market right now.. Happy& Safe Travels..Manny

At least now I know why the other 25 guys in my head never laugh!😆

And, many of our folks have done successful battleborn conversions, at very reasonable cost. Much depends on your skill/technical level, and available local talent (pro, or skilled friends.) We are fortunate to have both. Many aren't. Our younger, techy friends who can twist like pretzels in small spaces (unlike us) help us on many days. Be that as it may, we know our camping style, and how to manage limited power. We rarely choose camping areas that require power for a/c. (Twice or three times in 15 seasons?) Our style is way different from others, so don't get me wrong. If you camp in heat, you need different styles from us. I've probably said it in here a hundred times. Everyone has a different camping style, and there is not one that is better than others. The best one is what suits you. Tailor for YOUR needs and wants.

For the electrical wizards skip this post. You know it already. Most DC systems with fuses (Like our 300 Amp fuse on the + side of our OEM batteries) would have their master On/Off convenience switch on the same side of the battery as the fuse. Granted, both will get the job done. Just that being on the positive side is more prevalent than on the negative side. Not a big deal for most applications. But it could be for a first responder not familiar with your owner mod. For example, Fire Fighters are trained to to look for a RED handle or device on the primary current carrying lines during a fire operation. This is because they are taught that when working with DC Electrical, there typically are only just four different colors: Red – Red cables carry the positive current. Black – Black cables will be the negative cable. Grey or White – Grey or white cables are the ground wires. And they are generally looking for the red wires to kill the power with their super sized cutters. I have seen this several times. Sadly, I have also seen first responders cut wires within inches of a master On/Off switch. None the less, it is no coincidence that the vast majority of RV master on/off switches are red in color and are mounted on the RED positive lead. As many of you have seen this at least three times.... once again: If you are going to add a convenient and quick way to totally kill the DC power of your trailer, I highly recommended this unit: Blue Sea Systems 9003E (350 amp rated). It just happens to be...... wait for it...... RED WHY? RV and NEC codes require that all high power DC circuits have at least one current limiting device. In the case OE2's, most if not all have a 300 amp fuse on the + side of the battery. (See Note Below). If a second current limiting device, such as a supplemental On/Off Master Switch, is installed, it MUST be rated for at least the capability as the primary current limiting device (IE. generally our 300 amp fuse). For this reason the minimum size any engineer worth their salt would insist on using is at least a 300A master switch. The impact of using a smaller switch can be "enlightening" and very costly. PM me if you want the full monte explanation. I personally chose the above one. John Russell (AKA GJ) Registered Professional Engineer, Former USAF Fire Marshall and Incident Commander NOTE: For our OE2's, I have not yet seen any OEM Inverters beyond 3,000 watts. And 3,000 watts at 12.7 volts = 236 amps. So it is likely that ALL our OE2's have 300 A fuses on their man positive battery cable fuses as OTT tends to design the wiring for all options offered, and the 3,000 watt inverter is the big boy unit. If your fuse is higher or lower, please let us know.

On the other hand he did indicate that it is very possible to perform a battery and charger system upgrade to lithium batteries, such as folks have done with the Battleborn batteries, but that was normally done by someone other than the factory. It just isn't a fully integrated system like the system currently installed on the new Olivers but it is very much an option for older campers.

At that point, it's pencil selling time. Add it up. What you can do, what you cannot. What you love and need. Add it all up, put your beloved trailer up for sale if you decide to go forward. I can't offer a lot of advice in that scenario, as my husband and I do most mods. As we get older, and it gets harder to do, that attitude is about to change, imo. .

For the entomologists out there.

So many wonderful photos! This is why I RV.

2020 - Dual awnings, street side is manual. Truma water heater. I like the control switches better than the new ones. Mostly comes down to needing/wanting Lithionics grade batteries and a turn-key solution. The Truma AC is a given, just trying to figure out whether to have them do other items while there for the AC upgrade. Labor and parts cost have gone up on the Xantrex components since I got quoted last year, but no unexpected. No price increase on the Lithionics...yet. Apparently they've done a number of the full Lithionics upgrades, so there is demand. I guess I could look at Airstream pricing and feeling good about the total cost. 😉. Also think if one wants to do the Lithionics, I'd do them sooner than later, not knowing what the impact of the Winnebago buyout of Lithionics will do.

Under the aft dinette seat. Mossey

Hull 218 has a 2000 w inverter and a 250 amp main fuse. I added a 175 amp terminal fuse block to each Battle Born battery. I dislike having unprotected hot wires, even very short ones. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5377-how-to-battery-feed-through-post-installation-reduce-the-clutter-in-the-battery-box-lithium-batteries-only/ John Davies Spokane WA

Under the dinette, the placard is upside down so you can actually read it with your head that way. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5450-how-to-battery-master-cutoff-switch-under-the-rear-dinette-seat/ John Davies Spokane WA

Hair Dryer would a better choice as they typically are 190 degrees F. I have "Fried" plastic with my heat gun. They are often over 800 degrees F if I recall correctly..

We've been subscribing to their monthly coffee club since early '16 - absolutely our favorite coffee company on several levels. We like supporting veteran-owned companies, especially when we love drinking their Joe. Our favorites are Blackbeard's Delight, Just Black, and CAF. Their range of roasts is broad and deep. Most folks can find a blend that suits their tastes, for sure. Great "swag", too. The company went public last year, I believe. They're getting big - kinda like that they've "made it". But you're correct, @SeaDawg; its life blood. I'm enjoying a cup ATM!

We have a Black Rifle coffee shop downtown in our little town of Boerne, TX. It’s more popular than the Starbucks on the other side of the freeway and is a great place to have a cup. The coffee is good, you can order the strength you like. We like it. Mike

Thanks Chris, I was not present for that portion of the rally Q&A. 👍🏻👍🏻

I do believe that question was presented during the maintenance/upgrade Q&A during the rally and he said the upgrade to the Truma Vario Heat would require extensive mods that would not be practical. I'm sure anything is possible, but practical was the emphasis. My take was they would not want to offer that upgrade. Similarly a person asked about upgrading an older camper to a full on Lithium Platinum package, and Jason said somewhere between $18-$20K or more depending on the age of the Oliver. He indicated that this would require a complete electrical system swap out including much of the wiring, including both fuse/circuit panels, inverter/charger, batteries, harnesses and solar charge system. I think at a point it would be much more practical to sell an older model and just pay the difference for the newer model with upgraded features.

Hunting Island SP SC:

If that "loaded" package gets you the Truma varioHeat, that's likely a big plus1 also. (Dometic ac is still standard. Quieter Truma is an upgrade.) Since 2022 (I think) they've added the neverlube axle, as standard. subject of some debate. We love our dc danfoss/secop fridge, but we liked both our 3way fridges, too, until they quit working. (I can fit a lot more fresh food in my truckfridge, self-installed, and live with the smaller freezer quite well.) We installed that electric fridge in early 2018, and I will say I'm extremely happy with its performance and reliability, now in our 6th season. Do you have an electric or manual awning on your 2020? I love our manual awning. New trailers get the electric. I think the new solar package includes slightly more wattage, and some victron gear, and an mppt controller? New owners could speak to the specifics. We like the victron components we've installed on our boat, but have been completely happy with BlueSky in our trailer, primarily because of their superlative customer service. We still have agm batteries, (2 x 105 ah 12v) supplemented with a Honda 1000 generator, and 400 watts fixed solar, up to 200 watts portable. We spent 152 days boondocking one year during covid, with a dc danfoss/secop compressor fridge, and that setup worked for us. (Note, power misers otherwise, and rarely camp where we need a/c. My particular setup wouldn't work for those who need a/c) Then, you get a new warranty with a new trailer. That's got some value, as well. How long do you plan to keep camping? What do you think you're "missing", and how many of the upgrades are you qualified to do yourself, or with the help of a skilled friend? For example, our truckfridge costs about $1k today. Labor free (ours), and most materials we already had. Miscellaneous materials probably under $250.

I’m seeing some great wildlife photography! Thanks for sharing! Here are a few more.

OK, here was yesterday's project and then I think I am done!!! It still needs tweaking especially with stormy weather which we got to experience last night!

John, Excellent clean work! Super Sano!! Patriot🇺🇸

Not sure how much lighter the new mattress is over the standard cushion and air mattress combination it replaces. Probably close to a wash. However, it is likely much lighter than its peer latex mattress. Slept on it last night and it is nice and firm. A good night sleep if you like that sort of thing. It was simple to make the bed. Lifting the mattress as a single unit, without flopping around and not heavy at all. I like it and best of all it was less than $200 for the new mattress.

I mentioned that I was an aircraft electrician in an earlier life. I too prefer a master switch on the negative side. Here’s why… In my first squadron, right out of AE A school, I was sent out my very first job, to change a torn terminal cover on a battery bus bar (24VDC). I removed the rubber terminal cover and proceeded to apply wrench to nut so I could slip the cover over the cable. Suddenly… there was a bright flash of light, accompanied by the sound of a stick welder. The wrench touched the airframe and became a wonderful conductor of 24VDC straight to ground. Luckily, the wrench didn’t stick to that rib, but it did leave a very small divot, and I needed a change of skivie drawers. I don’t remember if we were taught to always disconnect the power source before working on power systems, but we probably were, and common sense should have made me do so. I suspect I was just an excited 19 year old LCpl who was elated to get his first solo job, and didn’t stop to think. To this day, I always pull the negative lead before turning a wrench on a DC system. The chances of grounding a wrench are real.

Because this unit is technically not currently for sale, and does not fall under the forum’s rules for the sale of the trailers, I will lock the thread for questions or comments for now. Let me know when you’re ready to make it official and I’ll move it to the proper area and unlock it.

@SeaDawg It could be that a Truma Service Center might install a Truma furnace in an Oliver I am not sure. I was told by that Oliver will not be retrofitting the Vario heat furnace, I honestly don’t know how new it is. Jason Essary could provide more details. It would be expensive for sure. Patriot🇺🇸

Exactly. The only thing I couldn't remember was if he was listing those items' cost and then only indicated the labor would add on top of those costs significantly. It seemed as thought the complete upgrade out the door would be substantial enough to make a person reconsider.

400W (2 x 200W)

We’ve travelled with our beagle extensively. Here are some of the things that have worked for us: * Walking Trixie is the first thing we do in the morning, and the last thing we do at bed. In addition, of course, to some sort of long adventure walk/hike during the day when we are in camp. * She has her own dog bed to sleep in that we put near the bathroom. She snores like a sailor, and having her any nearer to the beds is a no-go. She also has a loose-fitting fleece jacket for cold evenings, since we keep our windows open at night. she gets a bit chilly when the temps drop into the low 40s * We have two tie-outs: one for our own camper, and one we set up in our traveling companion’s campsite when they are with us. * A collapsible dog bed helps keep her clean, and she is much less restless when she has her own space while we are eating or sitting around the fire. https://a.co/d/fOYzidI * Camping in relatively uncrowded places — she is a beagle, after all. While she doesn’t usually bark while in the camper, or while we are around, she generally does better when there isn’t a lot of foot traffic right outside our door. * We now try to avoid National Parks with strict no-dogs-off-pavement rules. Olympic National Park was rough on all of us because the campground was pretty isolated, and all we could do was walk her around the camp road. This really wasn’t great for a dog used to 4-7 mile hikes. We left early. 🙂 All in all, we love camping with Trixie. We’re very lucky that she is OK with our leaving her for 3 or 4 hours to go adventuring. mb

Sharp eyes! 😊 It’s just a sun screen that prevents any of the early afternoon suns UV from hitting the front of our Ollie. It depends on the summer solstice. I came up with this idea after washing, buffing and waxing one day. So far it works really well.

A pair of local Great Horned Owls stopping by for a peek in our back patio piñon tree...

We always try to recycle the red cups along with any empty 1 gallon water bottles when possible. Burning any trash is something we just try to avoid. Our thoughts are simply: If we pack it in, we pack it out. Paper cups are a good option! Patriot🇺🇸

Really nice work on the glass organizer. We opt to roll with the space saver solo disposable red cups mainly with cabinet space being a premium. They stack easy, less dishwashing, light weight and no glass breakage. Our last night at LGSP Oliver Rally we grilled and had a fun meal with 9 or 10 friends. The solo cups worked great for our guests. Just another option. 😊 Patriot🇺🇸

Big Horn Sheep Ram, Badlands SD:

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (Ewe and Lamb), Badlands NP, SD

Yep, I'm the same way, easier to pack. The older I get the more I don't like picking up heavy stuff if I can avoid it.

For us we were taking lots of stuff we did not need on trips. Now we pack according to each trip. This rig handles nicely and stops easily, too. Thanks,

Thanks Richard and Bob for making these mini rallies happen.. they’ve been lots of fun for sure.

You not only have patience, but in my opinion, a great sense of humor. Congratulations for the successful separation. Glad to have you here.

That’s pretty much the scenario. The Platinum Pro comes in around $17K, $10K of that is two Lithionic batteries, new Xantrex 3000 at $2100, labor $4200.

You are correct! And I have corrected my typo. The final solution will depend on the existing wiring. Mossey

I'm curious about your cargo carrying capacity. Your 2019 Q7 has a maximum cargo carrying capacity of 1367 pounds. Out of that must come the weight of everything that was not installed at the factory. Tongue Weight 600-700 pounds and I wouldn't be surprised at that weight. Two averaged size adults (statistically) 340 pounds. That only leaves you around 350 pounds for all your other stuff. Pets, camping gear, chairs, tables, chocks, blocks, tools, outside grill, clam, ground rug, box of tissues, phone chargers and on and on... My toolbox alone would eat almost all that weight. Were it me, I'd get a more capable tow vehicle. The towing capacity is about the least useful statistic you can know about your vehicle. You are living on the edge.

@Ralph Mawyer We recently had the Truma upgrade completed on our 2020 LE2 by Oliver Service and are very happy with it. A game changer for us. Some folks are fine with the Dometic, we were not. We have no interest in the smaller compressor fridge. We have the Norcold with more space and it serves us well. The Lithium pkg was not offered when we ordered our Ollie in 2020. When ordering we did upgrade to the AGMs. We have the Truma Aqua Go and for many reasons like it. The only upgrade I would consider is replacing our AGMs maybe someday when they give up the ghost with new Lithium batteries. Hopefully by this time Lithium batteries will have come way down in price. Time will tell. A recent quote from Mike Sharpe at Oliver Service for the basic Lithium conversion on our LE2 was $10k. 😳 I am just not a player at that price as I don’t see long term return on resale. On the other hand if I was looking at a used Oliver and it had the Truma Aventa AC, I would consider the the puchase of a used LE2 with the Truma AC over the Dometic Penguin. FWIW.. Patriot🇺🇸

I just went back and reread your original post. Thanks for the clarification. That's a good spot for glasses.

Thanks for starting the thread. On our acreage in WNC, we see a lot of birds, especially turkey, and occasionally deer, very occasionally black bear. I more often see bear sign (scat, scratches on tree trunks, prints etc.,) than bear, as all neighbors are careful to not feed them. Neighbors down mountain installed an electric fence to keep from inadvertently feeding them from their big organic garden. Usually when I see one, I either don't have my phone, or I'm too startled to use it to get a shot. Got this photo a few years back. I kind of think the black bear was more startled than I was.

Empire of the Summer Moon is a phenomenal read (or listen). We now have a "tribe" of about thirty people that have read and shared the book. We enjoy discussing it when we get together. There was talk for a while about a movie being produced on it...but, I haven't heard any more traffic on that. I sure hope it gets released as a movie and it is done properly. Any book by Joseph Marshall III is a good read/listen. He is a Sicangu Lakota from the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. His knowledge of history, archery, and the land is remarkable. The wisdom he shares is powerful and good.

Share and Enjoy !0Shares0 0 Fiber-Granite is a luxury upgrade to the wood accents and table tops included in the standard features of our trailers. Fiber-Granite is molded from fiberglass, gel coated and buffed to resemble a granite stone. It will replace the wood accent pieces located on the Twin Bed Floor Plan console and countertop spaces. It will also replace the black dining table top on the Standard Floor Plan along with the side dinette table top on both the Standard and Twin Bed Floor Plans. A Fiber-Granite top and backsplash will also be included in kitchen area with this upgrade. Available Colors: Capri, Aline, Mont Blanc, & Samba CapriAlpine SambaMonte Blanc Thumbnail example images are Fiber-Granite. Colors from photos may not appear exactly as they will in person and may vary slightly due to the manufacturing process. Share and Enjoy !0Shares0 0 The post Fiber-Granite is Now Available appeared first on Oliver Travel Trailers. Read the Full Article