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We are all going down the road towing an earthquake through a hurricane. No screw ever gets tighter with vibration, it always loosens. I go completely through our Hull #50 at least once a year and check all bolts and screws for tightness, especially the electrical connections. I’ve preached this for several years on multiple platforms. You can’t blame a manufacturer for a loose screw on a a product that you’ve used successfully for years. The impetus is on us to maintain the product through regular inspections and maintenance.

My camper has a 3000 Watt Inverter and the Lithium Pro Package. Right after a camping trip last November I noticed my batteries were not charging on shore power at home. I discussed the issue with Oliver and they recommended I take it to a shop and have the surge protector examined. Rather than take it to a local dealer. I setup an appointment at Hohenwald (it's only a 5-hour drive for me). Yesterday I went to Oliver and they worked on the issue. At first Oliver thought it was the inverter which they replaced. However, this did not fix the issue. They then re-checked the surge protector and found the wire from the EMS to the breaker panel burnt as well as a burnt connector. They put my old inverter back in and replaced the surge protector and the batteries now charge. The work was done quickly, professionally and I was charged for only what was actually needed. While it was there I had them fix a couple of other small issues and grease my fittings. This is my second trip to Hohenwald for work on the camper since it bought it new. I am very happy that we can still go to Oliver for work and really appreciate that we can set an appointment and reasonably expect the work to be done timely, and well. It was nice to be able to drive up Sunday, drop off the trailer Monday morning and then drive back home Monday night with the trailer.

Well Stated👍

I had several electrical issues that were resolved under warranty at a local repair shop. In all cases, it "appeared" it was not the component but the OTT installation of the component. OTT honored the warranty and was very cooperative along with the component manufacturers (Truma AC and the inverter folks) in resolving the issues. But I learned just because electrical items work at trailer delivery does not mean they are right or will continue working. I hope my electrical issues are all resolved especially because I am now out of warranty, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are not. I too have noticed how crudely and unrefined the cutouts in the interior hull are for some of the components - glad it's not just my trailer, I guess and we can all share the aesthetic. Unlike JD, I don't have the time, skills or interest to do all of my own electrical work on this or a stripped-down trailer. As it is, I just wish I had more time to camp and cooperative weather to go with. Finally, although I managed to resolve these issues with Oliver's generous help locally (and the shop did a fine job), I feel it is critically important to have the Mother Ship as a backup and intend to have them do overall maintenance of the trailer every few years to supplement my own. No local shop (especially one that is not a dealer) is going to know the Oliver trailer and systems weak points as well as Oliver.

I’ve awoken wifey more than a few times; noisily groping around in the dark looking for a tasty midnight snack. So it occurred to me, why not install automatic pantry lights. . . ones that won’t light up the whole trailer? In a previous post, “Lighting the Abyss automatically,” I similarly installed closet lights that turn on when the door is opened and wifey loved it. So here was a perfect opportunity to use the leftover LEDs and switches from the Amazon 4-packs. This is an easy modification, except that there wasn’t a hot wire in that location. Well actually there is a hot wire for the radio, but I wanted one that’s on the master switch that shuts all the lights off at once. So I’ve done the hard part by figuring out how to get a hot wire from the master switch to the lights. I’m not allowed to make any visible holes or have exposed wiring, so I fished the wires from the rear street-side overhead cabinet - behind the pantry - and into the space behind the radio. There are wire channels in the overhead cabinets under the mats and Oliver conveniently moulded a wire channel in the back of the pantry to join them together. It’s easy to snake a fish-rod through the channel to pull a new hot and ground wire through. I’ve found that a $12 Amazon fiberglass sectional fish rod works great for fishing wires in the Oliver because you can add sections as you push it through. It’s a good idea to pull a string through with the wires incase there’s a need to add more wires in the future. Once the wires are fished though, they can be spliced to the under cabinet touch light. The lights wiring is covered by black duct tape under the mat, and there is enough room to tuck a butt splice in the slot. However, I personally preferred splicing into the lighting circuit in the attic where there is more room. This requires a clamp-on amp probe to find the lighting circuit while turning the lights on and off. Be mindful that the master switch wire is there too and it will also show current, and don’t ask me how I know! 1/2 sheet metal screws work well to attach the LED light bars, or use good double stick tape. There is an air gap between the inside and outside walls of the pantry, and screw holes can be drilled through the inside wall in the same way as Oliver did for the shelf mounts. Just be careful not to drill all the way through the outside layer. I put two LED bars end-to-end on the right side of the pantry where they can’t be seen. A piece of 1” aluminum angle was screwed to the upper left corner to mount the cabinet light switch, and the wires were sheathed and secured with cable clamps behind the door frame. Bon Appetit! Cheers, Geoff

This is consistent with my experience as well. Oliver's factory quality control could be significantly improved, although review of comments on other RV forums suggests it is still much better than its competitors, including Airstream. What sets Oliver apart even more is its top-notch Service Department run by Jason Essary. Jason and his staff spend much of their time correcting mistakes made, and dare I say sloppy work by, workers at the factory. That is the reason I had an inspection list nearly 100 items long when we picked up our Hull #1291 in 2022. My inspection, and initial "shakedown," revealed only a couple of issues that were corrected by the Service Department before we towed our Elite II from Hohenwald back to Idaho. Thanks for the reminder to retorque electrical connections after the trailer has been towed a while. The electrical connections in our "homes on wheels" surely get rattled loose more than those in our homes.

@Roger Great report. I have always had an excellent experience at the Mothership, glad you did as well. Safe Travels!

We won the ticket lottery for THE WAVE! So now I need suggestions for where to camp near Kanab in mid April (that's where we will be meeting the guide company we hired). Anybody care to share?

M & O squeaking out their last cold "husky" nap in what's left of the snowfall...

We were on our Way home from the Hershey PA show when we stopped to stretch our legs. A couple came up to us and said they had been following us for about 20 miles hoping we would stop so they could see our trailer. It turned out they had a you tube channel. You never know who you might meet on the road. Bill

The guy forgot to mention that my truck is a diesel and also has Jake brakes. It tows 7,700.00 pounds compared to a gas Canyon with a 5,500 lb tow capacity. I’ve weighed the truck and trailer several times on cat scales fully loaded and with full water, extra water, bikes and Kayaks and I come in more than 300 lbs under gross for the truck and the trailer weighs in at 5,600 lbs and the tongue weight is right where it should be. It’s almost light on the tongue with the e-bikes on the back but is ok. we’ve towed about 10,000 miles so far and it seems fine. Been through the smokies, Catskills and the white mountains with out a problem. Would a bigger truck be better ? maybe we are at its limit, but still within the manufacturers specifications. But getting 20mpg towing and 24 not towing and the truck fits in my garage is worth something. Plus my truck is my everyday vehicle and pulling the trailer is only about 5% of its use. Sometimes you need to make some calculated decisions to make it work. Bill

Got the goodies yesterday. The 50A Victron DC-DC charger is much smaller than I would have thought! It’s 5x5” with mount height at 1 1/2”, only 1 1/8” thick with 3/8” feet. The SB175 Anderson connectors, which as pictured, added $79 to costs. They are larger than the charger! Why did I need 175A terminals for a 50A max system? It’s for 4AWG wire and larger. I purchased a similar SB50 10 AWG Anderson with “Environmental Connectors” for our 400W Renogy Suitcase solar. Very nice product! Makes me think about heavier cables. Go from 4 to 2 AWG, add $55 on my frame grounded 65 run. Make it 1/0, why not add another $135 for $230 plus tax. Need near 100 ft battery to battery 1/0, plan to spend $350, more if you like fancy brand names!

That’s us, usually done with evening meal by 5 and don’t eat again until 10ish the next morning.

I was reminded of my favorite post in this forum by @Dave and Kimberly and @Ronbrink about the Solar Tax Credit. With their information, we amended our 2022 tax return and received a handsome refund check for 30% of the cost of the lithium package. In case you're unaware; I believe you could do the same! Our friends did! The entire system cost is eligible, batteries, solar panels, chargers, inverters, shunt, wire, and all the associated bits and bobs. We didn't have to submit receipts, just have them available. With 30% of the $3400 spent and the DC to DC charger cost, you're looking at some serious change brother! It would pay for that DC to DC charger with properly sized wire, some new tools, and a night on the town with the misses. 🤙 Cheers! Geoff

Having a grand old time reading all the posts. No need for controversy. Not even seeking advice... although I always appreciate the comments and alternate views from the brain trust. This was just one strategy for keeping the pipes from freezing in some very particular circumstances. I thought to share it in case someone was in similar circumstances and would benefit. I do have one observation for everyone that read this post and took a look at the picture I attached. NOT ONE OF YOU! ... Not one... Not even me and I took the picture... Noticed what was lurking outside the window of the trailer. Look again! Scotty

Just turn your Delonghi heater up to 70F the night before you're leaving. It's NOT like you're leaving from the Yukon or the Twin Cities! Am I the only forum member here that is giving @ScottyGS confidence in his extremely thoughtful plan? (Yes) You guys with your pink stuff, I've never have used it and never will. Lately most of you have found your winterizing is signaling your CO Monitor! 🤣 Really? You can do better. Big Pharma, Big Food, Big Chemical, Big Gov, we don't use ANY of it, although we are stuck with the last one! Hopefully much of that is corrected soon! Scotty, God Bless you and your family and Merry Christmas. Let us know later that all was fine. Have a great trip!

We are here, La Posa South!😊 IMG_0139.mov

Furnace is not a problem, but running the a/c off battery for more than a few hours will be too tasking for the average battery bank. I carry a small dual fuel genny and use propane for overnight stays when a/c is needed off-grid. That said, lengthy travel stops for rest, lunch, shopping, etc. are prime times to use the a/c on battery since when back underway the DC-DC will likely recharge as you reach the day’s destination.

Actually, great idea! I have a Renogy 40A DC-DC and run my a/c on LFPs via inverter while underway quite often; the total amp draw by the a/c is offset by the output of said charger. I should mention, no solar. In some instances, owners run for long duration to keep pets comfortable inside the Oliver when in transit. The only problem I’ve experienced was an aging alternator in my TV; the vehicle battery was not being properly maintained, but installation of a new high output alternator resolved that issue.

We get hail often when the monsoon rains first hit with a bang and high winds. There was a lot more, all over the deck. The heavy rain that followed melted all but what was under the eaves. It hailed twice this week alone. No damage recently. I got a new $16K roof from Farmers a few years back. It sounds terrible with the high winds, but the hail is small. Last week Chris had my pretty '92 Lexus SC400 at the pickleball club. She was very worried and called me. But what can you do, you can't go out in it. I told her that old sports car has real metal, not like what they make today! Wanna see real hail? Probably not, but twice in the Round Rock Texas area, we've witnessed golf ball sized hail. Got under the viaduct JIT both times! Car dealers had the big hail-sales, but you'd have to be really needing a deal to buy one! BTW, the other pic shows a relatively young, beautiful Alligator Juniper! Bark like the gators you have in Florida. I water her regularly and treasure 'er in our backyard. It's the iconic tree of the Prescott NF. Check out this one, likely 300 years old with diameter as wide as Chris' full reach!

NOW I know why someone would not want to open the barn doors and run the Suburban heater! LOL. Well played! GJ