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After routing wires and an Ethernet cable under the vanity into the closet for the Starlink system, it was time to finish up the “Cubby Mod”. Used some available 3/16” plywood from another project to fashion a shelf and bulkhead to help organize storage. Rattle-canned a white enamel coating and - poof! One and done: Added 2 extra layers of insulation while in there. Cheers!

Are coming to the rally as usual? If so, and it is still not repaired, I will personally take care of it for you. We might just make it a ‘how to’ demo for the group to watch and learn from. We can do it down at the Buckeye pavilion. Let me know.

Initially I was thinking of a bedside cupholder, something to hold a drink cup or water bottle when in bed. Then we had our second camping experience, and I found my bed was filled with A/V remotes, my cell phone and water bottle! On Chris' side, she had a book, reading glasses and more stuff, with nowhere to put anything! This is what I came up with after numerous design thoughts, and measurements while holding the shelf in place when seated in the "watching TV position" (a later upgrade will be a proper headboard that OTT should truly consider). So many comforts are missing in this Oliver TT! Later hopefully tomorrow, I will show this build installed...

I sometimes find hard to locate items on the web by using a picture search on the Google search engine. Mossey

In Hull #050 it is a 3” bathroom vent with the two cabin vents being 4”.

In the meantime, @Nan, ask your wonderful grandson to go out on a nice day, and clean the area around the Oliver sign , and duct tape it like a new install window apron. A strip across the bottom first, then sides, then top, overlapping each way. Use white or clear. It won't take more than 25 minutes, including ladder set and cleaning, and you'll know the story, if it doesn't leak, when you test with a hose, or get a good rain..

Dave, sorry not getting back… I have a 2022 Elite with Cooper tires 235/65R16.. may spare is the same size .. cover fits.. dont know if the cover has changed since your eariler model.. Good luck.. I have about 14,000 miles on them, they still look in good shape..

I am so happy we have a composting toilet. A garbage bag and a dumpster is all it takes, but I prefer to wait until I am home to deposit under my lone apple tree.

You are absolutely correct, the Oliver sign is a PITN! When my trailer was new the sign leaked four times in the first three years. I took the light assembly out threw it away and patched the inside hole. When we picked up our trailer I asked for several pieces of scrap fiberglass. I got this scrap because I wanted some patch material for just in case and I wanted the gelcoat color to match. I cut out a plug from one of the fiberglass pieces and heavily epoxied the plug in the hole. I later fiberglassed over the patch as well. So for the past four years I haven’t worried about the sign leaking.

Yes, that Oliver sign is a PITA. I would much rather have a surface mounted brake light there, or nothing at all. Sooner or later, it seems many here have had to deal with it. There are some good posts on the forum on how to tackle removing the lense (yep, it has to come off so the area can be properly cleaned for resealing). Don't forget to also check the rear marker lights on each side of the Oliver light. Mine leaked there as well and since the supply wires to those lights had no drip loop, water ran down the wires forward and on to the floor of the upper cabinet where it would eventually leak out of the overhead speakers. Since redoing the marker lights and Oliver sign, there have been no more leaks. Here's a link about the marker lights. Sorry but I can't find the one on the Oliver sign.... https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/7018-leaking-marker-lights/#comment-75697 Good luck and hope you are feeling better. Dave

Starlink 12vDV Conversion - Final Update: Project completed. Decided to mount the components with white heavy duty Velcro. Tidied-up cable runs, all good. In fact, sitting in the OTT now connected to Casablanca Wi-Fi Starlink Kit” as I peck out this post on my mobile. Some pix that may be of interest of the final config: Internet speeds have varied this afternoon anywhere between 135 to 260mbs down and 6 - 23mbs up, FYI. That’s just a function of this location and the Starlink System. Cheers, All!

These drawers are not at all intuitive when it comes to taking them out of the galley cabinet. It is dead easy if you pretend that you are a simpleton and don't over think things... . Stand over the end of the open drawer, reach under the sides at the very front with both hands. Put your fingers underneath on the inner edge of the orange release thingies and squeeze, move your fingers toward your palms. The latches will release and you can lift the drawer up and out, away from the slides, which will probably spring back out of sight. That is the "self closing" feature at work. Here is what is going on: The drawer is held to the latch assembly by two TINY SHORT screws. They are known to strip out the soft wood. Sometimes you will find the drawer lying up by the bathroom door with spatulas and other stuff scattered everywhere. Tighten them gently, they will move! If they are stripped, install longer ones. FYI this is a six year old drawer, Oliver may have altered these parts. For example, mine don't have the inner safety latches. Note that you might want to wear disposable gloves. EDIT: one member installed 1” long screws, driven into new holes at an angle, and found that to be a very solid way to do this. Here is the end of the slide, showing the opening that catches the latch. THIS IS SO VERY COOL! I just discovered it after all these years.... On the bottom of each slide, about 5 inches in from the end, is a tiny pin that sticks down. When reinstalling the drawer, you can use it to pull the slide outwards until it clicks into the latch. It keeps your fingers away from the grease too. Finally, you can flip each drawer and lay a thin bead of wood glue around the joint between the bottom and the sides and let it sit overnight. It will dry almost clear, so don't worry about minor mistakes. Plus nobody but you will ever know. I do not recommend gluing the inside of the drawers, that will show and it also has some sort of protective clear coat, so the glue might not stick. This thread is very much related: ... https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2151-how-to-galley-drawer-travel-straps/ John Davies Spokane WA

When I was staying at DeSoto State Park, I met a couple that were traveling in a SpaceCraft 5th wheel, pulled by a heavy-duty truck. I was talking to them about their internet provider and they told me about Calyx Institute. I have done quite a bit of research on this and thought I would provide a little info here for people that might be interested in mobile high-speed internet. Disclaimer: I have not yet received or tested the device, but I will update this thread to let everyone know my experience. I am not connected with Calyx Institute in any way. So, the interesting thing about this organization (I don't call them a "company") is that they are a non-profit. If you make a donation, you will receive a WiFi hotspot device and a SIM that operates with the T-Mobile network "for free" for 12 months. In fact, the company I work for even made a matching contribution to them when I provided my receipt. They are based in New York as a registered charity. If you are interested in learning more about their charity work, check out their website: https://calyxinstitute.org/ I joined at the "sustainer" level, which will get me a 4G/5G Hotspot device and 1 year of service for a donation of $750. Subsequent years of service require a donation of $500. There are lower levels of membership that start at $500/$400. They have been doing this since 2010, so I think they will be around for a while. You can do your own research about the organization - I haven't found anything negative about them or anything that suggests they are not 100% legitimate.

If you mean on the Calyx, there are no caps, it is unlimited. I have AT&T on my phone and I've been using that as a hotspot, but the idea here is that between AT&T and T-Mobile, maybe one of them will have a signal. Plus I want to have the Oliver with a more "permanent" hotspot so when I leave with my phone, it will continue to have a connection. Ultimately, I may setup a security camera and be able to use my phone to check it while I'm out and about.

Interesting. A "donation" of a specified amount gets you a hardware device and a year of service. I do not recommend taking a charitable deduction for such a "donation" on your income taxes. EDIT 2/02/24: Given the IRS' determination of 501(c)(3) status, I stand corrected.

I love the extra faucet and dedicated shower, that definitely has me thinking... 🤔

Thanks Bill, I wasn't expecting a huge response but thought I would give it a try! I'll try the service ticket route. I tried calling a few days ago and left a message but haven't yet heard back. No doubt things are busy at the factory. If I find out anything I will post it for any future reference needs. Dave

Episode 7:

Episode 6:

Episode 5:

@Danno and Donna This YouTube link is to a Victron video about burning up an alternator while charging lithium batteries. It is about 4 years old and caused quite a bit of controversy at the time. Mossey

During our Idaho winters, we don't use our Lithionics batteries "at least every 3 months." I typically park the trailer in early November and don't use it again until April, sometimes May. That is 6+ months. We also get "extreme low temperatures" (below 14 degrees F) during that time period. It is not uncommon to get night time lows below 0 F. For these reasons, I leave the trailer connected to shore power during winter storage, as recommended in Lithionics Battery Storage Procedure Rev. 7-1, to ensure that there is sufficient power to keep our external battery heaters working. But, I disconnect shore power in early February (about now), run the batteries down to Reserve Voltage Cutoff (RVC), then re-connect shore power to charge the batteries back up. Lithionics Storage Procedure Rev.7-1.pdf

I heard back from Epoch and it appears my concerns are not warranted. 👍🏻 John Hello John, The self-heating has 2 requirements for activation. Temp below 32F and also connected to a charging source. It will only take current from a charging source to power the heating, never from the batteries.

Dave - Sorry that none of your fellow Elite I owners have replied to your question. As we know, on the Elite II's those "covers" fit rather snugly. Perhaps a Service ticket asking this question would get you some valid information. Good luck! Bill

Nice. With our 8' bed I rarely need extra space. The only time I get cramped for space is when we camp somewhere longer than 5-6 days and don't want to hook up and go to the dump. We load the turd wagon in the bed for the trip. Our turd wagon takes up more space than I like.

Drove the TV today to fill an LP tank for our upcoming camp. At a stoplight I thought why not run "Speedtest by Ookla" again, but this time while driving. Pulled up the app on my phone (phone Wi-Fi connected to the onboard Pepwave router with T-Mobile Business Premium 5G service) and clicked go as the light turned green. The test was bouncing from here to a T-Mobile server in North Las Vegas. Checked the readings when I stopped for LP. While driving in traffic at 40 MPH I was getting better speed (132 down) than the 100 Mbps service most of America has at their homes. I'm not seeing the 5G symbol on my phone in this area but have in other parts of Prescott. Is 4G capable of this download speed? On the way back it just started pouring rain for a few minutes. Tried the Speedtest in heavy rain and speed dropped down to 40 Mbps, still quite acceptable. The new tires felt good in the rain too. It's a rare case getting a rain test down here! There certainly is 5G service in many parts of valleys of Yuma, Quartzsite and the West Valley of Phoenix, where we will travel next week. I will report on how this worked after our next road trip. You got to get one of these! 😂

@rich.dev posted a link to an extensive discussion on the Oliver sign. It's a really good thread. Also discusses appropriate sealants. My husband and I got sick of chasing the minute leaks of bubbles in caulk, etc., and went another direction with the Oliver sign/third light, several years ago. Mind you, it's more extreme, requires drilling holes, but we view it as the permanent solution. Still in beta, only three years in. 🙂 The Oliver sign is not that different from fixed acrylic portlights on sailboats, which typically leak after some magic number of years. In another ten years or so, I'll be able to tell you if our solution was best. Still in beta. But, as you know by now, I'm a big believer in synthetic butyl. It is not, however, an adhesive, so required mechanical fasteners, in addition to the superlative merits of butyl as a sealant. For good measure, we also applied a length of rv Eze gutter over the Oliver sign.

The data below is directly from the Lithionics data Sheet. These are industry standard temps for storing Lifepo4. If you use your trailer/batteries at least every 3 months then they will be fine unless they will experience extreme low temperatures. Saying that you need to remove them from your trailer is simply incorrect. The only time you would need to remove them would be storing for periods greater than 3 months at which point it would just be easier and more beneficial to just give them a full cycle. John Storage Storage Temperature & Humidity Range < 1 Month -4~95°F (-20~35°C), 45~75%RH < 3 Months 14~86°F (-10~30°C), 45~75%RH Recommended storage 59~95°F (15~35°C)，45%RH~75％RH Long Term Storage If the battery needs to be stored for > 3 months the voltage should be 13.2V (50%SoC) and stored at the recommended storage specifications shown above. Additionally, the battery needs at least one charge & discharge cycle every six months. Self-discharge rate Residual capacity ≤3% per month; ≤15% per year Reversible capacity ≤1.5%per month; ≤8% per year

That's exactly what's under there! Be careful, brother!

Lithionics, the manufacturer of the LiFePO4 batteries in our Elite II instructs to remove them from the trailer for winter storage if power is not available to keep the batteries charged in cold temps.

@Nan, I'm really sorry to hear that. Hope you are feeling better soon. Take care of yourself! Lots of nasty viruses out there this season. Honestly, I'd say it's 90 per cent likely it's the Oliver sign. Most vulnerable bit in that area. I wish Oliver would just use an applied light there.

You may have already fixed this, but just in case: Oliver uses (at least in our 2021 trailer) a push latch like this: https://www.amazon.com/CampN-Pair-Push-Catch-Replacement/dp/B074WFN45Y?th=1. They work well, and should work well as retrofits on older trailers also. A note of caution: their little tabs can break off if a drawer is forced closed and the latch is not in position to accept the tab, rendering the latch useless. But if the drawer is tilting and not sliding correctly, I would check two things first: (1) there is a flat pin at the back of the drawer that has to fit into a hole drilled into the rear wooden drawer panel. If the pin is not in the drawer then the drawer will not be correctly fastened to the Blum slides. Second, if the front drawer latch (the orange one toward the front of the drawer), is not fully attached to the slide then the drawer will tilt and the slide will not operate correctly. If lying on the floor and installing the drawer, you should see and hear the orange latch click into place. Yes, it looks like the orange latches you have in the photo are the correct ones. Our trailer too has these Blum tandem slides. They are arguably among the best in the business. Blum instructions specify mounting the drawer slides to the cabinet wall with 3 screws. This might be fine for non-rolling homes, but rolling kitchens need more screws. After the first year (and 8,000 miles) several of ours had jiggled loose (leading the slides to move and the drawers to appear tilted). I installed more screws into each slide (after removing the drawers from the slides) and have not had a problem since.

Not necessarily. LifePO4 Cells can withstand sub freezing temps for up to 3 months with no issues. If it was gonna be -20F then sure I would bring them in but 20F there would be no issue leaving them in the trailer. I put a call into Epoch to get clarification on this heater issue. I'll post what I find out. John

If you must store the trailer in a cold environment without access to power, then you should remove the battery from the battery box and store it in a temperature-controlled environment (like your home).

HA! Couldn't resist quoting you on this one, JD! Magnus (4 years next month), the white one hails from Colorado Springs, Oscar's pedigree, OTOH, totally unknown to us. Doesn't matter, IMO, he's a rescue about 10 years, also 65lbs, but he's still able to jump up to his rack (with the help of the table top on top of the rack rails). Plenty of room for all 4 of us because the "boys" usually curl up into little "Husky Doughnuts": But then again, sometimes we need to deal with serious "Dog Logs" in the passageway: HA! OMG, we love traveling with these two Knuckleheads! Cheers!

Same here, works well and warm air trickles from the wet bath vent below the TP dispenser....FYI

JD, we do, too. It’s made by Highway Products in White City, OR. We try to keep the weight at 100 pounds or under. Because of the width, there is a set of brake/turn signals on top. The bars also accept Yakima round bar fittings.

Chris Neuhaus, Stephen Cobb, and Marla King all have lockable boxes on the rear. Still need to remain under 150lbs.

Now that I have this installed in the TV, there is no way I would want it installed in the Oliver. No drilling for the antenna, no 7x7 ft of cable in the attic, and a stronger cell signal to boot. I also use my truck around the county pulling dirt bikes for a day trip and drive 3-4 business trips annually without the Oliver. Now we have Wi-Fi on board everywhere. Works well with the diesel engine running, maybe because it sits much higher. Chris can use high-speed internet while I'm driving. Yours has been sitting in your attic for 1 1/2 years (had read your earlier posts) and perhaps this year is the time to do it right! You need to make your mount so that it would sit above the A/C and btw running the air may cause some electromagnetic interference to the signal. They say the Parsec Husky is the BEST cellular antenna and that it does not require a ground plane but would benefit from one. No better ground plane than the steel roof of an extended cab pickup truck! The magnet mount sits tight, just drop it in place. I placed a towel under it until I was sure of position to make it easier to move. With this install all was required was a 1 1/2" square hole in the back panel of the cab behind the rear seat. No Dicor necessary, no caulk, the rubber grommets and housing seal on the Icotek cable entry solution is all you need. I used speed clips for the 4 small bolt holes and 3M VHB tape to mount the Pepwave to the truck cab back wall. Not just Wi-Fi at your camp, but anywhere and everywhere you drive. I can get caught up on work on my computer, while Chris is grocery shopping, or when we are parked at a restaurant! Think about that.

The cord that came with our Oliver at delivery was defective and wouldn't twist lock. OTT replaced it before we left.

I don't have issue with anyone's particular camping style, as long as it doesn't bother others (referring to loud, obnoxious and bright during the night people). Personally, I love being outdoors most of the time. However, I'm not a big fan of heat and humidity and I sweat a lot during the summer. A/C is a must in the southern latitudes, especially at night because I don't particularly sleep well on wet sheets. If I could chase mild climates during the year, I would, leaning more towards colder regions. In Spring, Fall and southern Winters, I will gladly park my rear in a free location and just use the batteries. This is the ideal situation. The Oliver is the first camper I have ever had that contained batteries with enough capacity to boondock effectively. The option I chose when I bought the trailer was 390 ah and 400 watts solar. I believe that if I don't use the A/C, watch TV all night long or run the microwave/convection oven, I will likely never run out of power. Of course, if the weather doesn't cooperate, and the solar panels don't get the optimal amount of sunlight, I will either have to cut back on power output or break out the Cummins generator. Most of the time, I would consider this the backup plan. For this reason, the power cable isn't all that important to me. I suppose I would change my mind if I owned an Airstream with one battery mounted on the front. Those things are dependent on external power sources unless someone refitted them with a much larger battery bank and solar. This is also one of the other reasons I went with Oliver over the Airstream. I don't want to be dependent upon someone else's power.

For those of you who've never seen the inside of a first gen Elite, here's a photo of the infamous "stripper pole." It's quite helpful as a handhold if you're the person sleeping next to the hull, climbing over your sleeping spouse, to get to the lav in the middle of the night. We had many jokes about it, back in the day. (Apologies for the thread drift, @Ronbrink)

Yep - this was my first thought too. However, only the Elite I's had what was known as the "stripper pole". Bill

We have two small electric de-humidifiers we use in Ollie. Condensation will collect between the hulls where the Oliver Sign is located in the overhead storage. Been thinking about installing a 2" vent in each removable bulkhead partitions where the Oliver sign is located along with using a small de-humidfier in that compartment to better help with condensation.

Perhaps a bit more to your point though - There have been several threads here on the Forum related to the various types of material that have been used for mounting various items. These range from marine grade plywood to plastic cutting boards to various poly type construction materials. I think that both Mossemi and ScubaRx have some experience along these lines - a PM to each might get you a direction you can use. Bill p.s. As far as I know - the material under that insulation would simply be the inside of the hull. I'd be very careful putting screws through it because it is highly likely that your tires are under there.

THAT's interesting! Never saw one of those in an Oliver either in or out of the factory. Bill

If you checked continuity at the plug and that changed after you removed the wire shown in your picture, then you must have removed the correct wire. I believe that the automatic circuit breaker is shown on my Oliver supplied wiring diagram for 2017. My trailer is a 2017 model, hull 208.

Wow! ... mountainoliver - thanks for this ... I'll take a look for it tomorrow morning ... hoping mine is similar as it will make disabling TV charger very simple. Cheers, -Dan

These are the settings that Battle Born sent me to be used for the Blue Sky IPN Pro. The settings are based on my installation which consists of 3 batteries and are directly based on the Blue Sky setup procedure in the Blue Sky manual. Note the per battery settings.

After reading these posts (and the link that Rivernerd provided), I have a few question and am looking for you-all opinions. First - FYI, I do not plan to change the heater supply piping, at this point in time, as I only camp in the shoulder seasons (which can be somewhat cold in New England). Second - I am thinking of adding a high and low return air vent to the closet as OTT has done in their newer models. Other than provide some ventilation to the closet, what benefit will those vents do to the overall cabin heating situation? Third - I plan to add a return air vent low in the bathroom wall. Is adding a 4" round return air vent on the aisle side of the front dinette seat (return air to the same area as the bathroom vent provides) of any additional benefit to heating in the lower piping/tank areas and the cabin heat? Thanks