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  1. Unfortunately, this is normal for the Truma units and any other rv ac unit where the blower runs continuously as the compressor cycles on and off. This is particularly a problem when the ambient humidity is high and the outside temp is close to the temp the ac is set to. These conditions result in short compressor run times with long blower run times wo the compressor running. You can use the dehumidify setting on the Truma, accessed only with the remove control. This setting runs the compressor continuously and does a great job decreasing humidity at the cost of making the trailer very cold. We usually just set the temp to much lower than we normally would to compensate for the increase humidity in the trailer, ie 65º at night. You can also purchase a small counter top dehumidifier as recently suggested in this great thread.
    5 points
  2. I completed our new Nova Kool R5810 AC/DC refrigerator installation before our trip to the 2025 OTTO's Rally and the 3 week shakedown was everything we hoped for! I want to thank all of the early adopters, Try2Relax, MountainOliver, Geronimo John, Ty J and rideadeuce, who preceded my installation and shared there experiences. I have attached a few pictures that are similar to those that have already been posted. I would also like to shout out to David & Kristine Hess, Cooper Jenkins and the rest of the folks at Sea Biscuit Metal Designs for their help and creation of the upper and lower vents for my refrigerator installation. If you need something custom made from metal, they are my goto team! Mossey
    4 points
  3. Here’s my adaptation in mounting the two Sirocco ll fans back in 2020 shortly after our OLEll purchase. By chance, my setup has worked really well, thus far! Rather than a permanent mount and hardwiring, I used Velcro for attachment and installed ports in the fan base for a detachable power cable. The fans and cables are stowed in the attic when not in use and can be deployed, as needed. The two primary locations are above each bed and an alternate in the galley to direct air flow toward the dinette. I like that the fans are multi-directional both forward and downward facing. The white Velcro is not very noticeable at the three attachment points and excess cable is simply wrapped around the base for a clean appearance.
    4 points
  4. For 2 years, I've been wanting to lose the Andersen WDH. I have an older Ram 2500, unlike newer HD 2500s the user manual for my model states to use a WDH hitch when towing over 5000 LBS. Also when I hitch the Oliver, the rear hitch drops 2". Though tighten the WDH and it raises the rear back up to level and it keeps the trailer from “porpoising” from the light Oliver tongue weight. My Ram has helper springs, part of a Camper Special option, but after a few posts on the Cummins Forum, I found out that this option was made for truck campers and does not engage when pulling a relatively light trailer. The 25-year-old rear leaf springs are perhaps worn out. The easy out was to continue using the Andersen WDH (for now). However, I wanted to upgrade to a 2 5/16" and our 10-year-old Bulldog and Andersen had seen their better days. I'm an old-school critic of ridiculous prices today, but I truly believe a total of $200 for this upgrade is very reasonable, for both a new coupler and Andersen ball, It's nice that with Andersen you can upgrade the ball without having to replace the entire hitch assembly. Pictures show the old parts and new. Do what Andersen suggests in not greasing the ball, since it became obvious that grease on the ball worked is way below bringing dirt along for the ride. The friction cones had flakes of residue and horizontal striations which put wear on both the ball cone and the friction cone. $90 for the Anderson parts and $110 for the best price I could find on the Bulldog from a seller that included free shipping and did not charge out-of-state sales tax! https://andersenhitches.com/product/wd-tapered-replacement-balls/ https://www.trailerjacks.com/bulldog-collar-lok-trailer-coupler-2-516-ball-12500-lbs-3-channel-tongue-w-high-profile-latch
    3 points
  5. And here is the Bulldog before and after pics. The OEM gray matches my truck and the labels came off easily. Not easy to drill these holes. They used 1/2" 4" #8 bolts and OTT had drilled 9/16" holes, so I did the same (started with a 1/4" hole and stepped up, using a HD Unibit to finish). I placed them on the workbench side-by-side and used a Sharpie to circle the hole position through the old coupler onto the new one. I was so happy that both bolts pushed through first try! Torqued to 86 lb-ft (11Kg-M), DONE!
    3 points
  6. Carl, IMO, you're spot-on, brother! Modifications, upgrades, and otherwise enhancements outlined in various levels of detail in this forum are for information purposes and general "better" understanding of what the OTT can do during our collective travels. That said, our "collective travels" are widely different across the spectrum of owners. Everyone has their own "style" of camping with their Ollie - some fancy established RV parks with full connections for the majority of their travels, others prefer full-on off-grid boondocking for most of their trips. The rest of the owners likely fall in between these extremes. So, depending on what "style" of camping you prefer, would dictate which mods suit your purpose of camping. But that's what's so phenomenal about this forum, there's such a wide spectrum of experience and expertise here, one can choose the mods fitting their camping style the best. The discussion about DC2DC chargers are such an example. It's not a "one size fits all" issue, if you catch my drift....
    3 points
  7. Yep, no Boondocking in store for @DanielBoondock! 🤣 Get a Tesla Model S to scratch your EV itch. Then after all the nonsense, being a GM guy, get the GMC Sierra Denali with the 6.6L Duramax Turbo Diesel and 10-speed Allison. 😂 When I win to the Lotto, I'll get one too (though I'd have to buy my first lotto ticket)! Daniel has not yet responded to the dozen EV TV criticisms posted in this thread and the first one he started. So Daniel, especially since you've updated your forum signature, I'm asking and I'm not alone. I'm not interested in performance specs, blah-blah-blah, instead wondering how you believe you can charge while traveling across the country, even boondocking, going anywhere you want without the chronic worry of the next charge station. Those of us with diesel TVs can drive 300 miles one-way up a dead-end road, boondocking along the way, we have enough fuel to return. You cannot make that claim with any EV. Likely your one-way trip towing will be limited to 100, 120 miles or so. And when you run out of power on some stretch of highway, you cannot merely grab a gas can and hitchhike down the road or walk to a local farm where there's always some diesel to borrow. You'd need a tow. Most Oliver owners worry enough about SOC% on their house batteries. We carry enough Ah, fresh water and fuel to camp 10 days off-grid.
    2 points
  8. Dan, I've enjoyed reading this thread. We seem to be on similar timelines - I am about 18 months out from full retirement at 62. I initially planned on 60 but the extra couple of years helps with the finances and covers the Oli purchase. Having immersed myself in possible options, I pretty rapidly ended up in the fiberglass segment. About 7 months ago, I ended up with Oliver at the top of the list for the same factors you've listed above. It sounds like I'm geographically closer to Hohenwald than you but it is still a long trip (from DC). Despite not visiting the factory, I'd tentatively decided on the Elite II about 7 months ago and was planning to visit the facility and order new hull in the spring. Then, in January, I lucked into a two year old hull with all of my desired options less than three hours from home. During a two week shakedown trip in March, I rolled through Hohenwald for an introduction and tour. Both sales and service seemed really happy to see me despite not purchasing new. This is a real community! There are quite a few small projects that I have planned for comfort, convenience and power connectivity, but all in all, I know this was the right choice, especially for four season and boondocking capabilities. I plan on hitting the road for some much longer trips starting in early 2027 and hope to get to Guntersville in early 2026 to learn even more from the experts. It is so hard trudging through the work day with the end in sight. Please keep us posted as things progress. Warm regards.
    2 points
  9. Water carry: Don’t know about the others (but probably average), but the Oliver is expressly designed for fresh water carry. Important for Boondocking and I want to bring water with me just in case the campground water is having issues For us, this is the main OTT limitation. We boondock almost exclusively and water is what we run out of first even with a composting toilet. I ultimately added an auxiliary 35-gallon tank in the back of my TV as my 3/4 ton has the capacity (wish I had opted for 40 or 45 gallons). We fill both tanks with softened water from the trusted home source and we are good for almost a week. I have a custom pump setup to simply refill the freshwater tank so I don't have to fool with the valve configuration using the Ollie water pump. This also serves the purpose of a backup water pump if ever needed. So all told, I am adding several hundred pounds to my TV payload - something to consider if you plan to boondock much.
    2 points
  10. With my juvenile mindset, it was really difficult not to say something inappropriate here. But I refrained. 😁
    2 points
  11. Daniel, I can tell you've had a great time researching and deciding on your trailer. It reminds me of myself, 18 years ago. I had one year until retirement and did extensive research into all available fiberglass trailers available at the time. During the search, someone on the FiberglassRV forum mentioned "a new guy in town", which was the Oliver family's foray into the travel trailer industry. I met Jim Oliver and he told me about his family, his company, and his dreams for the Oliver travel trailer. I was sold. Being in on the ground floor, so to speak, I was coordinating with an eager company who wanted high satisfaction for each and every buyer. Their production was in low numbers, and fortunately, for us early customers, the company was nimble and able to make modifications on-the-fly the the build in order to fit our every wish. While not an engineer, I still had several personal desires they accommodated which were not in the original design. Now, with more than 140,000 miles of wandering, I am convinced I made the right choice. You did too! It was an exciting year! I know you are having a great time dreaming of your Elite II and looking forward to retirement. Enjoy the anticipation and may you have many wonderful years traveling throughout this great land. See you down the road . . .
    2 points
  12. Figured I would post here in addition to my post on FB group for those who might want info and not on FB. In addition note that the copper is an odd size and uses push-to-connect fitting on tank so I was unable to rebuild. From all appearances, I looks like a factory defect along with Oliver not installing the screws that hold the copper tubing secure to the back of the unit. Not sure why they would have removed or is the unit had been worked on before we acquired the trailer in 22. “””””””””””””””””””””” Hull #293 here. Just replaced our Truma myself as the internal outlet copper line had a factory defect that finally started to leak (see photo). It made if for about 7 years until it started to show a drip after traveling. Oliver service did not have time when we were there for the twin bed conversion. I took a borescope and could see it was not the mixing vessel or tank that Oliver service said is common repairs for leaks. Was a fairly easy removal of the old unit and simple enough to take off the cover to look more closely. Perhaps someone would feel confident trying to repair the crack but I decided to not risk future problems and just replace the unit with a new one. Purchased online from omnioutdoorliving.com for ~$1,399 and it arrived the next day shipping directly from the Truma warehouse in IN. Shipping was free as well! Could not have asked for better service. Bought a roll of butyl tape to seal the new unit to the Oliver as was done at the factory install in 2017. Installation took about 30-40 min and the new unit works flawlessly. Now I have an older unit for parts if I ever need it in the future. Looked at other options for a typical water heater and determined it would be about half the cost. Wife said she really liked the instant hot water so I went with the exact replacement. Individual choice, so your call on path forward.
    1 point
  13. That is the new style 1 1/4 inch that is missing the interior. Someone tried to make it work but a true 2 inch reciever is 2 1/6 inches.
    1 point
  14. No. Haha right back at ya No, Tesla sucks IMO. I’ve been driving GM EV’s for seven, eight years. Full stop. I’ll put it out there - I’m done trying to discuss EV’s with people who haven’t driven them, don’t know anything about them, and refuse to entertain them, but just want to reinforce their beliefs. I don’t know where you are on this - not trying to paint you one way or another - but FYI I’ll answer any reasonable questions but that’s it On this one? I think you’re responding here to another thread? If there’s anything here about EV’s I must have missed it. There’s another thread where it came up but I haven’t been following that one, life is short … I’m wondering how you can believe that it’s not possible to charge across the country, with the tens of thousands of DCFC that are going in? It’s clear you’re not aware of the Ionna consortium which is going to have more charging than Tesla in a few years, they’re blasting them in at a furious rate as we speak. Or every single Pilot/Flying-J will have them with another GM effort - how many are there of those? You ever gassed up at a Flying-J? Not to mention the existing Tesla, EA, EVgo and others. Maybe you’re not aware that wherever people go, there is electricity? Everything you said there is incorrect, people are making real world trips of 200+ miles before needing a charge, towing, today, with the latest GM EV’s. You can use V2V to charge in extremis, or just a generator or portable DCFC. And nobody ever is in that situation, charging is ubiquitous. Actually it was a mistake for me to ever mention EV’s on this forum, sorry folks my fault, I changed my sig, please ignore …
    1 point
  15. As expressed by others, it’s really a matter if choice. Since I don’t have solar, the DC-DC allows for charging while underway. Since upgrading to LFPs and the ability to run the air conditioner on the battery bank, it was important to me to be able to maintain adequate SOC following travel breaks during meals, rests and such while drawing down the batteries for this added comfort. Granted, sitting idle just to charge a battery bank is not practical, and disconnecting the TVs charging wire in the seven pin connector is best since the alternator’s charging profile is not suitable for lithiums.
    1 point
  16. Thank, Bill. I stuck product label onto the Bulldog paperwork and placed it in my Oliver file. I definitely always remove and trash those stupid warning labels, added for .gov regulations, for the sole purpose of dumbing-down the American people. 🤣
    1 point
  17. Can we assume that you paid attention to the warning on that label - "do not destroy this label" - and it is presently sitting in a place of honor in your workshop?🤣 Bill
    1 point
  18. And I thought we were the only ones to do this! 😂
    1 point
  19. After I got done, I emailed the Andersen rep again and asked if she would mail me a new Andersen label and she replied the next morning, "of course." Now that everything is clean (used 3M Skotch-Brite pads to sand), you can push down the ball and it grabs with friction. And you can pull it up and it turns easily (about 4mm free play to the snap ring). If this persists after towing some it will allow for any hitch angle, just lift and turn. I'll let you know. No grease going on this new build and it doesn't matter if the ball looks like it's wearing, it's all solid steel at a rating 2x the GTWR!
    1 point
  20. I had a problem similar to this when my Ollie was still under warranty. My microwave and AC were unusable when off shorepower as the 3000 watt inverter would shut down. I can't recall if my voltage drop mirrored yours, but the behavior was at least similar. As such, a repair facility with OTT and Xantrex' guidance made the repair. I am not 100% certain what was done but I know there were issues with redundant and/or undersized or defective circuit breakers as it came from OTT. (There are only so many things you can check in the OTT campground if you stay a night or two there as part of shakedown following new trailer pickup.)
    1 point
  21. $94 at Tweety's. A bit more expensive than free. Drats. Thanks for the heads up. At that cost it will be worth an inspection of the ball and it's shaft. If the shaft is good, Get the free cone for cost of shipping and install the ball 180 degrees from OEM and wear out the other side of the ball. Another reason to lube the ball... get longer life out of the new looking front side! Sorry CRM I could not help myself on that one! 🙂 GJ
    1 point
  22. I'm guessing that there are a bunch of kids in the pool here.😇 Bill
    1 point
  23. Thanks for the kind words of encouragement! Just what I needed … I’m at that stage of ‘having trouble’ shall we say, with doing the last few years. Fact is my theoretical date is early next year, which would be 59.5 same as my Dad and brother, why not … but I’m tacking on a few years to earn guilt free extra dollars to pay for this rig and this and that. Oliver jacked up the price like crazy last few years and EV trucks aren’t cheap yet as they’re just releasing. Meanwhile there’s various factors I’m waiting to settle out - interest rates, production start for MY2026 on both the truck and the trailer, anyhow now that I finally settled it’s a bit of being impatient. Good news is, maybe I can pull this all together this year and be camping in the new year. That should make the final couple years fly by as I’ll practically be retired, just with that pesky day job to attend to still 😅 Dan
    1 point
  24. Well, I pulled the trigger today and ordered all my DC charging parts. They will be coming in over the next week or so. I would like to extend a big thanks to all the members of this forum, who over the years, have helped me with many questions and concerns I would like to give a special thanks to Coddiwomple (David) who graciously invited me over to his shop to show me how he installed his DC charging in his LE1. It was extremely helpful to see first hand. He went beyond the mark by opening up his TV and trailer (including every access panel) and allowed me to photograph and video his trailer. He even went so far to give me copies of all his documentation and notes. It's people like David and many others that make this community such a great place to communicate and share. Thanks to everyone! Carl BTW... I just got notified by Highway Trailers in Salem that Oliver is sending them the Truma water heater parts replacement for the recall. There is hope!
    1 point
  25. JD.. Yes that is the fan I installed. No, it's not whisper quiet... but it is pretty quiet when set on low. We like the maxxfan a lot when sleeping... provides just the right amount of white noise to cover any other sounds. The Sirocco is about the same as the maxxfan but it's a lot closer. Still not annoying and should not interfere with sleeping. I posted a video of the fan on the facebook page... you can look for it there. I cycled through the 3 speeds so you can hear how loud each is. Steve, Have not travelled with it at all but plan on leaving it in the down position. I think it would stress the fan especially on bumpy roads. Will probably leave it in the down position all the time. Thanks, Scotty
    1 point
  26. That would be my Chris too! I’m not into fans, so for me just one fan is needed on her side. Thanks
    1 point
  27. Not Scotty, but in our experience with two fans, each mounted either side of the television, it is indeed whisper quiet. Even with both on the highest speed, I'd say it isn't as loud as the Truma A/C on low. And the fan that you linked is the one we ordered. Ours were $88 in December 2022. We had them even before taking delivery of Curiosity! We pivot one fan toward the other, with the second posted forward, in an effort to help with circulation. The advantage of having two is that either of us can have the fan blowing directly on us in the twin beds as desired. Deb sleeps hot, so frequently has hers on medium blowing directly on her, while I might not have mine on at all. Much better than her having the ceiling fan on medium at home while I have the blanket up to my chin! 🤣 @ScottyGS Do you travel with yours stowed in the up position? I had considered doing that, but was concerned that the bouncing might wear the catches on the locking mechanism. So we make sure ours are locked in the down position before travelling.
    1 point
  28. 16MAY25 -- 0634, Casablanca settled in at Pancho Villa SP near La Paloma, Old Mexico.... Magnus pulling the first watch:
    1 point
  29. 5/16/25, 7:25am, Oliver Spotted. Cape Hatteras, Northbound on Hwy. 12, just North of Frisco, NC. Our Oliver is at the KOA. Taking the ferry to Ocracoke Island for the day.
    1 point
  30. Don’t know if this is the issue, but not all Loctite products are suitable in high heat environments. Something like Loctite 246 might be a good choice. I don’t know if these burner screws get hot, but if they do - investigate the use of a medium or high strength thread locker designed for high heat conditions.
    1 point
  31. Just for fun and my own sake, tl/dr all the positives Tongue Weight: Lowest in class, Bigfoot is as high as 1k, I have tongue and payload limits I’m working with GVWR: A touch on the heavy side for it’s size but well within my limits Size: True 25’ like the Escape 23’, but the Ollie is a 7’ compared to the 8’ of the Escape. The Bigfoot with front storage is a 28’ Fiberglass: Best in class with the custom honeycomb and mat patches in strategic locations Lighting: Best in class, tri-level interior and bi-level exterior Options: Best in class. Escape famously is configurable but mostly with low level ones (who needs a second exterior shower?), you can’t option out the stuff you’d want control over like batteries/solar. Bigfoot likewise has no power options and only options things like skylights (which are a bad solution to a dark interior) Build Quality: Best in class, I mentioned fiberglass above but the frame is equally boss Decor: Subjective but best in class IMO. Bigfoot is old school, Escape is, sorry just cheap looking. Ollie is classic will never go out of style Fixtures: Best in class marine quality Outside presentation: Best in class. Frames are ugly, only the Oliver hides it, and with fiberglass body no less Usability: Four season, Escape is three, Bigfoot is four Towing: Probably best of the three by a small margin, aero, lack of external gubbins. Bigfoot has a good front, good bottom but poor top and back, the Escape has a poor shape and bottom Water carry: Don’t know about the others (but probably average), but the Oliver is expressly designed for fresh water carry. Important for Boondocking and I want to bring water with me just in case the campground water is having issues Repair: As far as I can tell the Oliver is the most well designed for repair. As mentioned above, even in the unlikely event of a tank issue you can even swap those without too much trouble …
    1 point
  32. North of San Francisco. No worries actually, speaking of research this has been an obsession for about five years as I’m rounding into retirement, I’ve run through everything and there’s no other choice, seeing one won’t change my mind to be honest. We don’t need to see one actually, too much bother 😅 I mean we all know this is a balancing of compromises, so you have to pick your poison. Listing out my unmet wants just for my own sake .. Want: Bigger twins Downside: Would be a bigger trailer, but I like the narrowbody 25 actual foot size for towing and campsite availability Solution: If it really bothers - probably won’t - but if it does we can rig it into a queen size Want: Bigger dinette Downside: Same issue Solution: Make more use of the beds and outside Want: More storage so the trailer can always be ready to go Downside: Same issue, also I like the exterior beauty of the Oliver with only a few doors Solution: Outside front/rear 3rd party storage, that rear bumper with the dual rails that can be configured bike hitch or storage tray is brilliant Want: Bigger fridge Downside: Could have been done - the Bigfoot fridge is awesome - but it would rob that upper cabinet Solution: Just get an electric cooler Want: More thermal insulation, not just radiant Downside: I’m overthinking this one 😅 Solution: Kick back and have a beer That’s it. Everything else is pretty much exactly as I would do it myself. There’s a hundred other positives I haven’t mentioned like offroadbility, boondocking, composting as a standard option … Did I mention I’m a ambient light freak? Oliver even did three level lightning which is optimal. Upper, midlevel and down pointing floor level. Nobody does that, they usually just do the awful overhead interrogation light style 😅 Oh and if that’s not enough, they did bi-level lightning outside, the uppers and the lowers, it’s just too much.
    1 point
  33. The 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubecon has a 220 amp 'smart' alternator. From what I understand, that should be sufficient for DC charging. That is an important consideration.
    1 point
  34. I have consider DC2DC charging for the last 4 years. I wanted to consider how we use the trailer before installing the DC2DC charging. We do longer trips and often stay at Harvest Host along the way. It's nice to pull into a dry camping spot with a full charge on the batteries. The solar does a pretty good job but not during the night and decreases effectiveness in bad weather. The following reasons made me decide to pursue DC2DC charging: 1. You got a guaranteed output of up to 700 watts, rain, night, it doesn't matter 2. Additional panels on the Elite 1 is not an option. DC to DC is like adding additional solar panels to the rig. 3. How about portable panels? Portable panels are heavy and do not store well. 4. Portable panels only work during the daytime. We are on the road most days. 5. Portable panels won't run the air conditioner. I do carry a portable generator with us which can run the air conditioner if necessary. 6. DC2DC is guaranteed output. It is going to work all the time. (Maybe a duplicate of #1 but I think it is worth mentioning again.) I think it depends on how you use your rig. If you always stay at places with shore power, maybe the DC2DC charging doesn't make sense. I believe the decision to install DC charging depends on your use model. It may not make sense for everyone. Carl
    1 point
  35. I replaced mine with a Blue Seas System breaker, much better quality and no recurring issues.
    1 point
  36. Make sure you purchase the Orion XS 50A charger that was not yet on the market when Geoff worked his install. I detailed my installation and charging performance. We love it, no more SOC% worries. Watch video to see why to spend on the 50A model and check out other installations. See mine below and there are at least 4 on this forum (search for Orion or DC-DC).
    1 point
  37. I can verify, as others have said, the Truma AC works fine but you need to be a polar bear to enjoy it. I believe it also uses the same amount of power at it does in AC mode.
    0 points
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