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In the interest of making the solar panels much more cover friendly, as in Calmark storage cover, and to just add a touch of finished look to the panels to match the color of the Oliver, I fabricated a permanent guard from 1-1/4" PVC pipe. It's notched out such that it just sits over the perimeter of the solar panels and fastens through the panel frames in 6 locations. No need to remove, but if the panels need service it takes about 10 minutes to remove in one assembled piece. I'm sure not everyone's cup of tea but I think it serves the purpose well which it's intended. I made a straight jig out of a 12"x60" piece of plywood with two 2x4's attached to hold the pvc rigid. I used a guide on the side of a circular saw to cut the pvc into the needed profile.

Our camping property is a forest conservation area, by our choice. one year, we awoke to what sounded like short, intermittent bursts of hail, first night back, in months. It wasn’t. There was a squirrel nest in a tree above us. We were "invading " their space. As soon as they figured out we were harmless, the barrage of nuts quit. The creatures were all here first. We see the bears often, usually in the distance, but they want nothing to do with us. A raised voice, or a bark from my 9 pound dog sends them packing. Keep a clean campsite. Our permanent neighbors do same. Put food sources out of sight and scent. At public campgrounds, make sure everything attractive is packed away, and all doors and windows are closed and locked. You have no idea of previous occupants. Bear, and other creatures, can learn that that campsites are an easy "foodsource". None of us want that. They become at risk, if they become accustomed to human food and contact. They'll eventually "invade" a human space,,and become subject to relocation or demise. Please do your best to let wild life continue to he wild,,and respect their space. We just share it with them, at their pleasure.

Chris: Great idea and creative execution! Well done. Not only looks great, is functional, but the curved edge is more aerodynamic as well. In the world of PVC, the big box store white PVC is designed for underground use. The Gray PVC is designed for electrical usage that is often used above ground and exposed to the sun. Just like black tie-wraps, the gray/black products have UV inhibitors, and generally speaking the white ones do not. So if one is going to paint the PVC, I suggest using the UV inhibited PVC. OR if your decals use gray as part of your Ollie's theme, then the gray PVC could be used as is. GJ

So... here we are in Wilcox, AZ wine country attempting to avoid sub-freezing temps in Northern NM. It's 75F here without a hint of wind. Harvest Hosting for a couple nights at Pillsbury Winery near the Chiricahua Mountains and Dos Cabezas Peak. OBTW: the new install of the Victron DC-DC charger is pretty awesome... Above pic shows the proximity to the Vinyard at Sam Pillsbury's ranch. Tough duty, but someone has to do it. Cheers to all... stay safe!

Old backpacking habits die hard, as space/size/ weight still matters, as much as great coffee matters. This GSI pour over filter has been in use for well over a decade, along with the pot I use to boil water, having survived countless backpacking adventures , and now lives in hull 997. I use a paper filter, so little water is wasted on clean up. It folds flat, takes a beating, dries fast, weighs nothing, brews a great cup, too.

It's a minor issue, but sitting at the dinette or lying in bed we found the touch lights can be glaringly bright. I discovered that a 4" PVC sewer-pipe connector has a flange that is the ideal diameter for slipping over the touch light to create a light shade. To create a shade I cut off the flange from a connector using the band saw. This is the cut end that slips over the light... This is the finished end that becomes the bottom of the shade: The shade slips over the light and stays in place with a friction fit, but a bit of 3M double stick tape provides insurance: Dinette touch light, without shade: Dinette light, with shade: Galley lights, with shades: Shade installation does not appear to have any effect on light operation--they still turn on and off by touch. I suppose that the flanges could be cut with a hand saw (hack saw, coping saw?), which would likely require some additional filing and sanding. Also, the shades could be painted white, but for now we've stuck with plain black.

Along with a fresh wax job, that pvc frame made installing the caver very easy. Started at the back and unrolled towards the front. Then stood on the bumper and pulled the cover back and down until it was centered on the camper. It was so smooth and slippery the cover just glided into position.

Same here. We replaced our cracked original lug nuts with a SS type described earlier in this thread - over 10k miles since, no issues after torquing to 95 lb-ft. We examine our lugs as part of our pre-departure checks, too.

When I had my Oliver serviced on Oct 20th, Oliver had no concerns about the SS lugs I mentioned I was using. I feel sure if there was a safety issue or concern service would have thrown a caution flag. All good. All said its just nice to have options. I prefer SS over chrome plated. Glad to hear your results and hopefully you will never have an issue with the OEM set cracking/peeling off. 👍🏻

I had previously heard (and it was discussed here on the Forum) that the touch lights were not going to be present on the 2024 models. However, I've not heard anything additional on this subject. Bill p.s. It has also been confirmed that the upper fridge vent on the exterior of the Ollie will not be there anymore - i.e. the outside shell will be smooth. However, the bottom fridge vent that turned into a collapsible table will continue to be the table.

I too found it necessary to hook up the signal booster to my Tiretraker to prevent "lost signal "alarms. I attached a 12 volt male cigarette lighter plug to the signal booster and when I tow, I plug it into a receptacle in the rear of my vehicle and secure it to the side with a piece of velcro tape. It is easy to remove and store when not towing. This approach should work in any of the cigarette lighter ports in the Oliver as well and only takes a few minutes to set up. No trailer wiring involved.

People like that are why we can’t have nice things.

Don’t know about you folks but it’s time for a cup of coffee however you choose to make it! Mossey

If anyone is interested in using a Melita, and making coffee in a thermos, here is the filter holder that works best. They’re about $12-$15 online. They take a #6 filter. We use unbleached filters.

After detailed discussions with @Geronimo John regarding a DC-DC Charger installation, we finally got around to making it happen. There's a ton of posts on this mod/upgrade, so we're not going down the rabbit hole to the end - just saying that it's a worth while mod to consider. Essentially, our concern was the 12AWG DC circuit from the 7-pin connector supplying an inadequate DC current to the OTT while towing, especially during the hours of darkness when there's no solar input to the battery bank. So, we decided to go with the Victron 12/12 30amp Bluetooth unit to be compatible with our other Victron devices (Smart Shunt, MPPT Solar charger, and the Cerbo S-GX multiplexer). We decided to upgrade from the OTT factory PWM solar module controller to the Victron MPPT unit. We also added the 7" Victron Touch to monitor all our AC and DC input/output activity which has been a game changer for us. Here's a series of pix that may satisfy the curiosity of those interested in efficiently charging the battery bank. FYI: We've got 3x BB's and ran 1/0 cables from the TV's smart alternator to an Anderson plug installed at the hitch, then 4 AWG cables from the Anderson through a Blue Sea Cable Clam to the Victron DC-DC charger installed under the aft dinette seat. The cables were snaked from the forward bulkhead under the toilet to the forward dinette seat, under the dinette table, to the aft dinette seat area: Below shows the location for the Victron Cerbo S-GX Touch Screen... This is the location where we mounted the new Victron MPPT Smart Solar Charger, upper street side compartment where the old PWM solar charge controller was mounted: We mounted the Victron remote solar controller monitor to the right of the Touch Screen... Building the Anderson plug for the OTT with 4AWG cables... Below shows the Blue Seas Cable Clam hull penetration adjacent to the 7-pin cable... Victron DC-DC Charger mounted on the street side wheel well/aft dinette seat next to the Progressive surge protector... Note the 50amp breaker between DC-DC Charger and the battery bank. We installed another 50amp breaker between the TV alternator and the Anderson connection: Pulling 4AWG cables from the hull penetration under the head sink thru the front of the toilet and to the aft dinette seat area... Thanks to @ScubaRx - Steve gave a great suggestion for snaking wires through challenging areas using a stiff plastic strap for securing pallet loads... One and done. I'm going for a cold one...

https://www.cnn.com/travel/blue-ridge-parkway-section-closed-feeding-bear/index.html

Thanks John, and I appreciate the tip on preserving the integrity of the material. Per the link you provided I think I’ll paint the frame with a PVC furniture paint. Like any PVC you buy at the big box store, this has scuffs and stains on it so it’d look better painted anyway and would shield from the sun. Regarding the CAD software, I subscribe to AutoCad LT. I believe it’s around $400 if paid annually and there’s no contract. If you let it expire you retain your account and can renew at any time. You also have the option to pay monthly at a slightly higher cost if you only want to use it occasionally. I don’t know if it’s Mac compatible. There are other 2D and 3D software products out there that are cheaper but being an old dog I didn’t want to have to learn a new system. It works for my needs. Oh and you can transpose the image colors when printing.

Very cool mod, thanks for posting! What kind of pipe did you use? If it is off-the-shelf box store Schedule 80 stuff, you should treat the parts annually with a preservative like 303 Protectant. If you don't, the frame may shatter in a few years from a wayward tree branch. Depending of course on the long term sun exposure level. https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/18339/which-type-of-pvc-for-exposed-outdoor-use For those who may to know: ... http://www.harrisonplastic.com/pvcschedule40-80specs.html Sorry, this is off topic... What CAD program do you use to generate those dimensional images? Can it print reverse (black on white)? I am looking for a newbie friendly, SIMPLE 2D software that is iMac compatible (without using a Windoze emulator) and that won't cost thousands per year to lease. Any suggestions? I have a new Sherilne 3 x 17" lathe and mill, and need to draw stuff that will look professional, but all the work will be hand turned and milled. No stepper motors for me 😉 . NO to this: Thanks, john Davies Spokane WA

These "Fluffy Cows" stopped traffic for an hour headed to West Yellowstone on our motorcycle trip a couple summers ago...

@Ronbrink: Good call, brother. The Blue Sea Systems ANL fuse is on our radar screen. TKX!

Right, the extreme summer heat here in Texas this summer was a bit too much! Just know the fuse option is a good fix.

I originally had a breaker at the battery on the cable leading the rear bumper Anderson, but excessive engine heat oftentimes would cause it to overheat and trip. Resorted to an ANL fuse, problem solved.

The Hario pour-over is ceramic and the beaker is glass. I also use a pre-heated ceramic coffee cup, no plastic.

Excellent work Chris - Wow! It also looks way better than the raw edge of the panels too. 🙂

Take a photo of it?

While you are In Wilcox Also try Bodega Pierce Winery & Tasting Room

Lest folks get confused when they go looking for "4" PVC," what you used is ABS. In the plumbing world, ABS is black, PVC is white. So, to replicate your clever mod, folks should buy a 4" ABS connector. The same fitting might be available in PVC, which would come in white. Lots easier than painting. The fitting you used in PVC might be this 4" PVC Sewer and Drain Adapter: https://www.lowes.com/pd/PVC-4-in-x-4-in-dia-PVC-Adapter-Fitting/3455246?user=shopping&feed=yes&srsltid=AfmBOoqiQKecE5I94QDhmh3FLnYQEu_e183jcC9ZSiT_t9vAn5YMpw4bqvE If I were trying to implement this mod, I would buy one of those, see if it fits, then return it if it doesn't, and buy more if it does.

Same here - works great...

Tourons

As I currently understand it - the "new" bathroom door will be similar to the closet door in both look and in the hardware that is used for the latch etc.. Also, as with the current door, the large mirror will still be used on the "outside" of the door - the side facing the interior of the cabin. Bill p.s. I think that the "noise" being referred to is caused when opening the door and the magnets don't all release the door at the same time. This causes to door to "vibrate" which, in turn, causes the noise. It is either that or the door hits against the frame when opened or closed causing the noise. Bill

Call NOW! Operators are standing by! 😁

I also use a Melitta, their cone and carafe setup. Then I pour a cup and the rest goes in my Stanley Thermos. The #4 filters are a little smaller and convenient for one person. Chris uses a French press to make a special half-caf brew. Anybody using a manual pour, gotta get one of these. We use it when on shore power and have a backup tea kettle too for LP. Amazon.com: Aigostar Electric Kettle, 1.7 Liter Electric Tea Kettle with LED Illuminated and High Borosilicate Glass, Hot Water Kettle with Filter, BPA Free, Auto Shutoff, Boil-Dry Protection, Cordless, 360° Base: Home & Kitchen This little electric kettle is great. The black and white ones are 1100W and for some reason the new stainless model is 1500W. We have two of the 1100W models, with one in daily use at home. Heats up quicker than the kettle on gas. Why waste LP when on shore power? And when the batteries are charged enough, I'll run this off the inverter too! 😄 I thought the main question Doug expressed, was not about coffee likes, but about counter space and fitment! Doug, let us know if you need any measurements.

Don't leave your Truma water heater on when driving. Put it into antifreeze mode, with the the antifreeze unit installed and running. That is what it is for. You can then turn it to Eco or Comfort mode when you are off the road camping and need hot water. When we travel in cold weather,we still run our 3-way fridge on DC. This is to avoid driving into a gas station with the open flame that the fridge propane setting requires. If driving in temps below freezing when not winterized, I would leave the furnace running on propane at 65 degrees F or higher, to keep the plumbing from freezing. But, I would pull off the road outside any gas station and turn it off before refueling. I would then pull off the road again after leaving the gas station and turn the furnace back on. Think about what could happen if your furnace tried to ignite fuel while parked next to a gas pump. It would be like lighting a match! With this regimen, monitor your propane levels. Depending on the size or your tanks, you may run out of propane every 3-4 days.

I use this very small Mr. Coffee machine. For travel it sits in the sink along with other items. At less than 10" tall, it could go elsewhere though. Works great. Doubles as a water heater if on shore power. GJ

It is a ritual. I go slow. I have learned exactly when to remove the heat. It makes two perfect cups, or at least to perfect as I have come to coffee. I have a friend with some fancy $1,000 rig that makes the best coffee I have had. I can't commit to something like that even at home. Our home pot makes good coffee, but the Moka pot is mo' betta.

Our 58 tr3, Paul's college car, still runs ,and has a prime spot in the garage. Do we win ? 🤣🤣🤣

It will be very interesting to see how this plays out. I hope it ends up benefitting both Oliver and us as owners with expanded service locations. It could be a challenge for the network to gain the trust of those who are used to dealing with the experts in Hohenwald (it's REALLY nice to be able to get solid information when there is a question or issue) so top-notch, maintained training at these facilities will be so important. And having the service department remain at the mothership would still afford us options as well as an opportunity to visit Tennessee, which we have come to love since our purchase and trips there.

Correct. Bulged acorn nuts are for aluminum wheels, whereas straight lug nuts are for steel. Bulged has more surface area where they contact the wheel, reducing wear.

What a wonderful effort! Many many thanks. I have some thoughts that may be worth a cup of coffee..... I am suggesting an "Old School" approach to short cycling that likely you have not seen done. In the olden days (IE. before transistors and electronic controls), if I had a T-stat sensing bulb that was in a difficult location (that we could not change), and the cold air was causing short cycling, we would first try shielding the sensor from the air flow. If that did not provide relief from short cycling, then we would add thermal mass to the sensing bulb. Thermal mass would work on a small thermistor as well I suspect. Try putting the thermistor into a small plastic pill container with a hole in the lid for the cable. Leave the lid hole sort of open, maybe even put a hole in the pill container bottom. Then tape it to the wall and note what happens. Then move it around the space. If the short cycling persists add thermal mass to the container with the thermistor and repeat. Something like a few small glass beads. Need more dampening, add more glass beads. The increasing thermal mass of the weighted container will ameliorate the output of the thermistor. That will delay temperature rise and fall as the unit cycles. Thereby delaying both start and stop. Basically extending the run times and off times as well. i am thinking that should the drain line approach be feasible (No answers to my question above about that yet.) then a thermal mass enabled thermistor in the attic with an air port via the smoke detector just may work. On the other hand there maybe a different thermistor that would do the same thing. But first proof of concept would be the first logical step. GJ

I bet they are going to the Airstream model. Any Airstream owner can go back to the factory and camp in the factory campground to have service done. Or, they can have service done at their nearest Airstream dealer. Mike

It appears to have been successful for two other respected fiberglass manufacturers, Bigfoot and Northern Lite, that I know of. We'll just have to wait and see how it works for Oliver. I too, wish them the best. I don't see that as a negative, if the chosen dealers are Oliver- specific trained, and dotted around the country (and who knows, maybe Canada?), it could afford many of us a much closer access to Oliver service. We are about a 12 hour drive-time trip to Hohenwald. I can only see that as a positive.

I believe it is a matter of perception. This new dealer network business model may or may not be a success for the Oliver Travel Trailer company. Only time will tell, but I am hoping that it is successful! First, we know Oliver is going to offer new trailer sales and service through a dealer network, which will provide additional buying, selling and service locations, which should give the Oliver Travel Trailer company a national footprint. Now we know that Oliver has closed the Classified sub-forum completely. This will remove one option for those that are interested in buying or selling an Oliver Travel Trailer. The new dealer network will provide additional oppportunities for buyers and sellers of Oliver Travel Trailers which may be at a more advantageous geographic location. The buying and selling of an Oliver Travel Trailer is still a decision that owners are in charge of. Whether or not an Oliver Travel Trailer owner chooses to have service performed at a dealer that may or may not sell new or used Olivers is their choice, as it always has been. Thank you for listening to my perception, Mossey

Good News! I am happy to report that the auxiliary thermistor I bought from Amazon works as a replacement to the factory thermistor. These two things are critical to the success: locate the new thermistor away from the air distribution box and away from the airflow. For me, this will be around the corner of a cabinet and likely in the same location as the original Dometic CCC2 thermostat that controlled the original Dometic AC and gas furnace. I tried multiple experiments with the thermistor in the same area as the air distribution box with varying degrees of shielding from the airflow. But it just wasn’t good enough to suit me. This would have been the simpler solution and I wanted to rule it out before moving on to something more involved. I think there’s just too much air movement everywhere around the distribution box and it tricks the thermistor into thinking it’s a different temperature than it really is. The test that pleased me the most was when I stretched the cord out as long as it would go and I taped it in a location near where I hope to set it permanently. The cord isn’t long enough to get me there right now. But when taped to the wall around the corner from the airflow the AC set temperature of 70 was reached and three other temperature devices in the RV measured between 70 and 72 in different locations. The on/off cycles were fairly short which concerns me a little bit and I’m hoping this will improve when I have the thermistor in the final location which will be more shielded from airflow and at a more reasonable vertical location. In heat mode this morning, there was a greater difference between the set temperature of 66 and the actual temperature of 72. Cycles were short and I think if I had let it continue the interior temperature would have gone higher than 72. Perhaps this will also even out more once the thermistor is not as close to the ceiling. I’m less concerned about an accurate reading with heat than I am with AC. I use the RV more in the warmer seasons than I do in the cooler ones. Also, when I turned on the heat this morning, there was a great deal of humidity pumped into the living space. The windows fogged and the moisture on the interior aluminum skin (this is an Airstream instead of an Oliver) was visible. I was surprised to see this and I wondered if it was due to residual moisture still on the evaporator fins from the prior day’s AC testing. Overall, I’m pleased with the testing knowing that I can relocate the thermistor elsewhere and get reasonably good results. If I have to adjust the settings to reflect the differences between set temperatures and actual temperatures I’ll learn that over time and adjust. I feel like the two major wins in this obsession of mine are: 1) getting the additional relay installed to allow the interior fan to cycle with the compressor (solves humidity issue with AC), and 2) finding an easy path to get an auxiliary thermistor from the rooftop control board location to the interior sealed area without much effort. For those interested, this is the thermistor I am using right now. It has the two-pin connector on the end that fits the control board. https://a.co/d/dV31de2

We've loved all our (6? 7?) Canadian trips. First, with the Ollie, was to revisit Lake Sharbot, where my husband spent many summers with friends and families, then in to an around Erie,,Ontario, Michigan and Superior, top of the lakes trip. It was. so. Darned. cold. in July, we had to find warmer clothes. Unexpected. But refreshing . 🤣 I still have a too big pair of sweatpants from that trip. I should just give them away. We love our Canadian neighbors, your beautiful parks, your welcome, and especially our travels through the Yukon, and our camping friends there. (My husband is from Buffalo, and I'm from Minnesota, so "almost" Canadian, in our original climates.)

….and Canada!

See my post in another thread. My trust level over 16 seasons with the family is very strong. Please take a deep breath, and continue to have confidence in the Oliver family. They care about not only their customers, but their employees as well. I don't see that changing, no matter what, honestly. Back during the 2008 downturn, and the hiatus, Oliver continued to not only give gainful employment to all their employees, albeit often in other jobs, but continued to support our "orphan" trailers. And, they paid the fees to keep our then very tiny membership forum going. Som of us, like mountainborn and I, with more computer background, kept it afloat with our expertise, and no admins. (I do appreciate our admins.) Was I upset/angered by the decision to drop the classifieds?. Yes, of course I was. Absolutely. I was quite angry. But, if they feel that need, we'll figure out other paths. Will we continue to be the best possible group to join, for access to experienced Oliver owners, who actually have factual answers, based on experience? Yes. We will. It's not my job as a volunteer moderator to offer marketing suggestions. Oliver has a paid team for that. The benefits of having Oliver trained and certified service centers dotted about the four corners could significantly outweigh the loss of classifieds for many folks farflung from Hohenwald. We'll see. I'd encourage all of you to do as I will. Take a deep breath, and see how this works out. I know, personally, from my solid experience with the Oliver family, that the commitment to contiinued exemplary customer, and technical, service will not change. Its in their DNA. Sherry Oliver mod since February, 2008. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/9710-classifieds-change/?do=findComment&comment=98284

When the Oliver travel trailer went back into production in 2013 after the 4+ year hiatus, one of the items that had previously been included was deleted, the motorized electric cord reel. Since we had owned one of the early models that had that feature, I was disappointed to learn that it would no longer be included in the list of standard features. I insisted that we have one included in our Hull #050 and being the wonderful company they are, my "request" was accommodated. As far as I know, none of the trailers built after mine has had this feature.

When I repaired my fan cover I had to replace my old gasket. I used a adhesive backed foam molding that comes in a roll from the hardware store. I match the thickness of the old gasket which was thin about 1/8 of a inch, so far that has been working.