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https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/08/health/rocky-mountain-spotted-fever/index.html I am guessing many of you are aware of this, and probably already do "Tick Patrol" when you return from hikes or at the end of the day. Do you also check your "Furies" when they come in and lay on the floor or bedding? Although this article references adventures down to Mexico, RMSF and "Lyme Disease" (a different bacterium) occurs within the boarders of the US. So far AK does not seem to have an issue with either at this time. (we were already planning to travel to AK 2024...) We have lots of opportunities to temporarily host "Ticks" up here in ND (where Lyme disease is more common than RMSF) even without getting beyond our yard. A family member did get a bite a few years back, we monitored the "Red Bite Ring" (never found the "bitter") and there did not appear to be any after effects from it. It just seems that some of the diseases and infections we are now subjected to, are more common but aggressive than they were 50-100 years ago. Yes, we have better medicines that can help if administered in time, but some of these illnesses are becoming resistant to some of the go-to medicines of the past. I am not trying to start a long thread of "war stories", but just a quick reminder to "Be Aware" and monitor, if you or your "Furies" do get the "Red Bite Ring"... Just like tire pressure and battery usage, another thing to be aware of, but not prevent us from going on our "Oli-ventures". B~Out,

John W: For your system and those exactly like your system, that would be convenient. However if your trailer is stored in hard freezing conditions and often not under direct observaion on a regular basis my pea brain has tossed a red flag warning. However many, if not most of our systems are not like yours. So to that group I suggest two cautions: A. Some MFG's say don't do so. So check your documentation or call/email your MFG to verify. B. No manufacturer that I am aware of allows their Litho's to be frozen and charged/discharged. So if your winter location can deep freeze beware. Likely OTT was aware that your factory Litho package has battery heaters. So long as they operate perfectly then it may be OK. And that may be OK is totally dependent on your battery heaters working every time they are needed. Personally I would not assume that each one of them will work every time for the life of the Litho's. Murphy's Law rules. However, I would not recommend that other owners of Litho's without battery heaters assume that their comment applies to them for deep freeze storage. See Items A and B above. GJ

I hadn’t seen any posts about this, so I thought I’d share this perfect little Amazon bungee cargo net: Powertye 15in x 30in Elastic Cargo Net with10 Adjustable Hooks and Tight 2in x 2in Mesh, $17.99 I originally bought it to carry firewood, and it can cover wood stacked higher than the bin if aluminum carabiners are used to make it a bit larger. Otherwise it holds a Costco storage bin just perfectly. Cheers, Geoff and Tanya

A simple galley outlet “hack” which I wont take credit for. Someone on FB posted a photo of this 6” power strip and I don’t recall who. Anyway I ordered one. It just seems a little bit easier to plug in the coffee pot and toaster early in the morning.😴 Just passing it forward. Installs easily with 3m double sided tape sold separately. https://www.amazon.com/GE-Designer-Extension-Grounded-45190/dp/B07P889FHQ/ref=sr_1_8?crid=3EMUX18DKS0D2&keywords=triple%2Boutlet%2Bextension%2Bcord%2Bshort&qid=1702078039&sprefix=short%2Btriple%2Boutlet%2Caps%2C2082&sr=8-8&th=1 Patriot🇺🇸

I see it as a huge win for all of us. Especially for keeping the great Service Team and taking some of the work load off them as the number of new Oliver sales has grown so much in the past few years. OTT Service Department fields a huge number diagnostic questions every day. They also financially support this forum at no cost to the OTT owners. Their efforts is leveraged by the OTT owner Pro's who are some of the best in the country. Combined it is hugely beneficial to both OTT and all of us. By having remotely located Service Centers, informed owners using this forum and the Mother Ship Service Experts can get to a dealership pretty well informed as to what needs to be done. This is a win for everyone!

Decided to move north a little ways. We are now at Patrick Space Force Base. Scored another waterfront site (river this time) and have already seen a Space-X launch and will have another, larger rocket go up tomorrow night. I will try to get some pictures. SpaceX Falcon Heavy USSF-52 DEC 10, 2023 08:14 PM LAUNCH COMPLEX 39A • KENNEDY SPACE CENTER Brian

Your best bet - just to make absolutely sure - would be to ask your sales agent at Oliver. However, historically the standard cushions have been 4 inches thick. Bill

Along about 30 NOV we sort of hyjacked the flex panel thread into Charging Ollie With Multiple Sources of Power. Maybe a good time to seperate the threads. I hate it when I hyjack my own thread......... and then have to ask forgiveness after the fact. Drats GJ

I didn't do anything but find old posts. Thanks to the folks who posted the info. @AndrewK @Galway Girl

Pessimistic thoughts are like cancer. Spouting statements that have no validity do not help. Oliver has a business plan to make them a force for years to come. Instead of stirring the pot with negative comments, it might be a good idea to have all the facts first. This site is a little more open minded, but comments here and especially on Oliver Facebook, come across like the sky is falling. "Oliver will be another Thor, and this will be the end of Oliver". Oliver isn't going to just set up repair centers and spend the money to train personnel. It has to be a win-win-win for Oliver, RV Dealership, and Oliver Owners (Future Owners). There has to be something in it for the RV Dealership and that is having Oliver's on their lots for sale. Someone in Washington State can go to Portland, OR (or wherever the RV Dealership is located) instead of driving 1,500+ mile to Hohenwald Remember, any Oliver Owner or Future Owner can go to Hohenwald to purchase or have service work done. Things will continue for those that prefer the Mothership. Oliver needs our support. We need to let this play out. As locations come on board, and Oliver shares the sales part, and how the repair work will be implemented, we will get a true understanding of the entire plan. We need to stop with negativity and spewing false comments. As I mentioned earlier this site has been a little more restrained. I personally think this is a win-win for Oliver Owners and Future Owners In the meantime Happy Camping.

I was browsing the RecPro website the other day and noticed a new addition to their Quiet AC lineup. They now have an AC/Heat pump model with a condensate pump for retrofit installations that have existing drain management to whisk away the condensation. Unfortunately for Oliver owners, the 15K size of the unit is probably too much for the space. It is also their higher profile unit which might not be appealing to some. Perhaps it will be an expanded offering someday in their low profile units.

Assuming you are going to reinstall the fridge, maybe use some real insulation like the pink Owens Corning 1” foam board, that is rated R5. I am not sure if regular styrofoam has that high an insulation value. The pink stuff is fire retardant and will not absorb moisture at all. Lots of aluminum HVAC tape will hold it in place and hopefully seal the gaps. The idea is to stop outside air entry. I sure would be reluctant to foam it back like yours is now, with the spray stuff…. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-Corning-FOAMULAR-NGX-F-150-1-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-SSE-R-5-XPS-Rigid-Foam-Board-Insulation-20WENGX/315197840 You can also use that board to insulate bare spots like under the bathroom vanity. … https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/9039-how-to-bath-sink-compartment-mods-duct-rework-insulation-disconnect-flush-line/ Please start a complete thread on your job, I don’t recall seeing one for the Norcold unit. Good luck! John Davies Spokane WA

Great reminder. Here is a little info on RMSP. It’s worth a read. https://www.healthline.com/health/rocky-mountain-spotted-fever#pictures

Thanks for the reminder. Good advice everyone.

After looking at the pictures that JED posted I noticed he had what looked like Styrofoam stacked on top of the refrigerator. I took off the baffle in the upper vent and mine was full of Styrofoam also but with sprayfoam in between a couple of layers. It is so tight I can't even move the Styrofoam. I guess that could be one reason I can't move the refrigerator. The only way to get the styrofoam out would be to tear it out. I guess then I would have to replace it with new styrofoam when reinstalling the refrigerator. I'm going to call the service department Monday and see what they recommend. Thanks for the help.

Not sure this will help as its for a Dometic, but here’s a link to how JED removed his Dometic.

@Snackchaser Looks great! Nice grab! Here is the link of anyone decides to order! https://www.amazon.com/Powertye-Large-Cargo-featuring-Adjustable/dp/B002302CAG?th=1 Patriot🇺🇸

This is the one that I used: https://a.co/d/ceHt1sT. That's a suspicious looking link but I guess that's how Amazon creates them so that they're short. I followed the link and it does go to the correct place. Or search for this item in the picture.

Can you please ID that thermistor for us? Maybe an Amazon picture. I have a service ticket with Mike and we are working the routing to get a path using your "Hot Poker" and JD's "Wire Extender" concepts. Mike and I are in Round 3 and he has the ball. I'll keep all posted soonest. With this last element we will have fully solved the Houghton's shortcomings. GJ

Exactly what I was looking for, thank you so much!

Actually, I want to have a waterproof encasement made for the KTTs and was asked for the radius dimension. The thread SeaDawg highlighted was very helpful. I appreciate your helpfulness, as well! Thanks

Well - the smoke and the smell are a good indication that the ammonia "unit" had nothing to do with the issue at hand. Yes, the ammonia "unit" could still be hot even with the fridge off, but, it shouldn't be hot too long after the fridge is off. Certainly, after an hour or so, I wouldn't think that it would be so hot as to cause the sizzling you heard. Yes, as you have already decided, in cases like this it is always better to get things checked out. Otherwise, you will pay the price of constantly worrying that the problem will reoccur or worse. Bill

The dealer in Massachusetts is Tim's RV in Erving, MA

That was my assumption, as I have never had an issue with water getting into the vent while washing with a bucket and soft brush. We rarely use a spray nozzle on the hose, at least not around vents. Sorry for the misunderstanding, Liana. Please keep us posted on what you find.

Well said. John

I remember seeing a YouTube video where the poster did much the same thing as you have done. Nice job! Makes a good product (but expensive product) much more useful and even easier to use. Bill

Snapped some pics yesterday while servicing the tires on my TV to illustrate the Anderson conversion and use. If unfamiliar with Viair, they come with alligator clips for a direct battery connection at either the TV’s under hood or RV’s house battery(ies). Prior to the installation of the Anderson at the rear bumper to power a DC-DC charger, I would pop the hood, connect the Viair and stage it on the ground at the front passenger side tire; which made for a long hose stretch to the Oliver’s rear, driver side tires. In using the Anderson, the Viair is now more strategically positioned when servicing both vehicles and much more convenient. However, there may be instances when the Viair is needed elsewhere, so the alligator clips were converted, as well.

This is exactly what happened to me. Insulation worn, wires shorting, no brakes. New wires routed on the outside of the axle solved the issue. Mike

I don’t think we’ll see any Camping Worlds. They are working with smaller dealers. I know one they are working with in Texas is a small family dealer. Mike

I second that emotion. Smokey Robinson - 1968

I doubt - very seriously - that it is Camping World. Bill

So stand by everyone, it looks like this is about to get a little more interesting.

The pandemic drove a lot of new folks to camping and the industry benefitted tremendously and all companies/dealers saw a great increase in sales from that. I know I had to wait almost 9 months on my Oliver Hull 1182. I have seen the wait times talked about from order to pickup on here decrease suggesting that demand has also fallen off some. Once I understood the dealers and service center roles in this I became very comfortable. I see Oliver removing a lot of obstacles that may be keeping potential buyers from pulling the trigger. The ability to touch and feel a new model close to you and also the ability for service closer to you. I also think that it will help with marketing and getting the word out about Oliver. We initially visited local dealers, went to the big RV show in Hersey and looked at everything they had there. I saw where Oliver took a couple models to Hersey this year to display and talk with folks. I also have seen where Oliver has taken trailers to many of these types events and others to make sure people are aware of Oliver Travel Trailers. In the beginning we were looking at airstreams and I was on their forums as well as others trying to learn what I could when I found Oliver. I visited this site, read these forums, joined and learned a lot over a couple year period. I have seen others on here talk about similar experiences leading to them purchasing their Oliver and I am not sure that is the best marketing model for Oliver to have. After a couple years of reading, learning, trying to decide what would work best for us we decided on a whim to go visit Oliver and take the factory tour - about 8-9 hrs drive for us, we scheduled a tour. We had a morning tour and showed up at the office a few minutes early and we saw the new models on the showroom floor. We were invited to go take a look and we did. We feel in love that morning. We took the tour and it only re-enforced what we knew we wanted to do. When we got back I tried my best to have Oliver let me hook up and go but no luck, lol. Best I could get from them that day was a production date so we settled for that, lol. I see all this as a good sign that Oliver sees a bright future and are still willing to invest in that future. Think about what our reaction would be to news coming to us about Oliver getting out of the travel trailer business. As an owner who hopes to enjoy "Discovery" for many years I have no issues with Oliver and what they are doing with this current business model. We have nothing but good things to say about our Oliver and interactions with the wonderful people that work there. We have really enjoyed our experiences camping and meeting some of you - hope to meet more soon. Stay Safe

It will be our first time there. They live north of Hobart in Rosetta, close to the river. I am looking forward to having summer in February and March.

Great fly-fishing just out side of Hobart... We love Tasmania!

Correct. I knew I could see the aggregate charge from both solar sources on the Victron display, just didn’t know how to explain it so simply as you did. I like that because the Zamp control on the portable panel shows it’s output and the Victron shows the total going to the batteries.

It's electron magic, I guess. We don't have the same system (we're blue sky solar, 400 watts fixed, 200 watts portable, pd charger /inverter, and agm natteries) but all these systems are pretty much set up with limits and rules so that everybody follows kindergarten protocols... play well together. What we do is use genset in the morning, when most empty, and get the biggest bang for our fossil fuel buck, if boondocking. Let the solar take up the slower high end of the charge curve. I actually have asked this question a number of times, to various manufacturers. All the charging devices have limits programmed in, so, you can't "overcharge". (Though, as we all know, lifepo4 like to be charged only infrequently to 100 per cent. They're not happy with constant float charge to full capacity, opposite of lead acid. ) So, we've run with that advice. Over seven years on current agms, approaching seven on flas on the boat, and 4 or 5 on house lithium powerwalls. I may not understand it all , but we follow their charts and settings, and so far, so good.

John, without digging into the schematics, my understanding is that the auxiliary solar port Oliver installs on our campers is directly wired to the batteries. This is the reason a separate charge controller is required on the portable panel. At this level it's not a highly technical process. The charge controller on the panel reads the battery SOC and controls the output to the batteries based on that reading. Adding an aux solar port to a camper that didn't already have one is pretty straight forward based on Oliver's method. The portable panel you buy must have its own charge controller. Now if I'm at a SOC of say 50%, I haven't spent much time yet analyzing the output level of the portable panel to the output of the onboard 400w panel on the camper. And of course another variable to observe would be the effect of plugging in the shore power and how that effects the output of the two solar power sources. Again an experiment yet to play with next summer for me.

"A horse is a horse of course, of course" I wouldn't exactly say on a "regular basis". Certainly there are members here that have a much bigger "inside straight" than I do. But, to answer your question, yes, that is part of the plan. Prospective owners will also be encouraged to actually visit Hohenwald for a plant tour and can arrange to pick up their new Ollie at either the Mothership or at the dealer with no difference in price on the unit they purchase. Bill

You are the one who brought it up by asking me why, publicly. I just clicked that sad button. Anyone here can have an opinion and nobody should try to silence or put down dissenters who don’t toe the line…. John Davies Spokane WA

I would have thought the first dealer would have been more than 300 miles from Hohenwald

BTW if anyone is interested in adding solar to a tow vehicle, camper or even a portable system, Renogy is offering pretty big discounts this week on everything they sell. Also most of the name brand lithium battery bank manufacturers are offering big discounts on Amazon.

True that!

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

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!

Nicely done and good for Tochta. Perhaps this proves that there are companies other than Oliver that do business the way it should be done. Bill

I finally got this project done. I ended up ordering a mattress from Tochta with dimensions of 78x75x10. When I put the mattress in the trailer and unpackaged it the actual dimensions we 78x77 which was too long. There was zero room around the top and bottom of the mattress. I called Tochta and they asked me to send pictures of the measurements. They got back to me and offered to give me $400 back if this mattress would work or to just have me donate this one and they would send me a new one. I chose a new one with dimensions of 76x74x10. It arrived less than a week later and fits perfectly. Mattress is very comfortable and Tochta's customer service is top notch! John

I just looked closer at “Mouse”, and the subframe mounting bolt heads are facing out, so they are blocked by the fiberglass. I sure wouldn’t pull off the hull, tho, I would just drill access holes in that lower fiberglass lip. But in reality, I think having the trailer up high on a hoist in a proper shop would provide very easy access, to cut off the shackle and shock mounts, and to trim some of the cross angle-iron braces. Counting the removal time for the straight axles, I bet the entire conversion could all be done by a pro with a plasma cutter in half a day. It could all be done by the owner with a saber saw and angle grinder while lying on the ground, but that is a job I probably would not enjoy, not even a little bit. 😳 Oliver could easily do this at the factory as a pre-build option. They would just need to have a few extra subframes lying around, ones with galvanized finish but without the brackets and hangers. Installation labor on the production line would be minimal. Considering that they buy the parts at wholesale and the buyer would get a credit for not installing the EZ Flex axles, springs and four shocks, I think a $2000 price tag for a factory Timbren option (with Dexter electric brakes) would be very reasonable. Would you pay $2000 for this setup? I definitely would. John Davies Spokane WA