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November 2021 Full moon at Oliver Service camp ground. Very nice and convenient overnight stay in advance of 0800 service appointment in the morning. Watched new owners (from VA) receive their new EII and park beside us in the Oliver campground. Very convenient for new owners to checkout new rig with onsite Oliver assistance if needed. As with everything Oliver, these convenient campsites are high quality and done just right.

That’s when you test the air conditioning system. 😊 Mossey

If it gets to the point where routine cleaning doesn't work, I'll go with the black. No problem so far.

When we replace our old gasket, we'll order black. Like dewdev , I'll do it once, and done

Yes the Pellandent gasket is pricey but you will only hopefully be doing it once. Install is quick. After all the Ollie is pricey. Why compromise?

Yes they are. The camping spots are very level with crushed gravel topping.

There have been numerous posts in this forum about Oliver’s lithium battery systems—about their usefulness, limitations, and value with respect to cost. Despite reasonable arguments against it, a number of us have purchased the lithium package. Reasons for purchasing the option have included the ability to run the air conditioner (A/C) for short durations (like at highway rest stops), greater usable energy (more boondocking in cloudy weather without needing a generator), faster charging, and longer battery life. This post summarizes things I’ve learned over the last 6 months about the Xantrex/Lithium/Zamp system. This post might also be titled “Things I Wish I’d Known from the Start.” This summary is a work in progress. Hopefully, with your corrections and additions, this thread will be of use to others that have purchased the Lithionics option or are considering doing so. At the time of this writing, manuals and other information for the Lithionics batteries are in the Service Center Knowledge Base — see links at the end of this post. I assume at some point Lithionics information will be compiled with all of the other trailer manuals in Oliver University. Battery State of Charge A key component of the Lithionics system is the app that lets users monitor State of Charge (SOC) and voltage (see links below). The reliability of the SOC values (which describes the amount of energy remaining in the battery) depends on (1) maintaining SOC calibration and having (2) up-to-date Lithionics firmware. The SOC should be near 100% at 13.6 volts, and about 50% (+/- about 10%) at 13.2 volts. If this is not what you’re seeing on the Zamp controller, Xantrex remote, or Lithionics battery app, then something’s wrong. By way of example, a couple times we’ve experienced the SOC readings of 60% when the batteries were dead -- not good. Note that the voltage reading on the app while there is a load on the system (e.g., electric heater) is different than when there is no load; the “resting” voltage may be higher. SOC Calibration The SOC requires periodic calibration. According to the manual for the 130 Ah batteries, the SOC can be calibrated simply by charging the batteries to 14.4 volts. The manual also states that fully charging the batteries to 14.4 volts should be done at least once every two weeks for battery life. Get the 130-Ah battery manual from Lithionics using the links below; at the time of this writing, Oliver has the incorrect manual posted in the Knowledge Base). When charging with shore power, it is not always apparent that the batteries have reached 14.4 volts, because when charging, the batteries only stay at ~14.4 volts for a short while before dropping back to about 13.6 volts. You can verify that batteries have reached 14.4 volts by monitoring battery voltage using the Lithionics app during a charging event. If you are unsure that the batteries are reaching 14.4 volts, you can at least confirm that the Xantrex charger/inverter is set to charge to at least 14.4 volts in the Xantrex app (https://support.olivertraveltrailers.com/portal/en/kb/articles/xantrex-remote-bluetooth-pair-operation) and, under Settings, check the custom absorption voltage. Ours came from the factory set at 14.6 volts, which is sufficiently high to get the batteries to 14.4 volts. Lithionics Firmware At least some of us that picked up our trailers in spring or early summer have batteries with outdated firmware. As I understand from Lithionics, more recent firmware versions have an improved SOC algorithm (our initial SOC readings were unreliable). You can check firmware version with the Lithionics app by clicking on a battery, then clicking on the settings “sprocket” in the upper right side, and then clicking on firmware. Our battery came with firmware version 1.0.05; I’ve recently updated to 1.0.07 by clicking on flash firmware. This has to be done with your phone in close proximity to the battery, and has to be done separately for each battery. Updating firmware comes with a “…this is a critical operation…” warning; you might want to check with Oliver or Lithionics if you have any questions about doing this. Has updating firmware improved our SOC readings? I’m not sure yet, but I think so. So far, the readings seem more reliable, but I’m still testing. SOC Calibration by Cycling A Lithionics rep told me that the SOC can be calibrated by “cycling” the batteries, and that this should be done every two months. Cycling consists of discharging the batteries to reserve voltage (e.g., ~12.1 volts) and then charging to 14.4 volts. However, the rep could not point to written documentation supporting this form of calibration. As the batteries support more partial cycles than full cycles (see graph below), calibrating by simply charging to 14.4 volts (assuming this effectively calibrates the SOC) seems better for battery life. Lithionics batteries will not charge from tow vehicle The standard 7-pin connection from tow vehicle to trailer cannot be used for charging the Lithionics batteries. Charging the batteries from the TV requires a DC to DC charger, which is an aftermarket installation. For more discussion on this, search for John Davies’ Redarc DC-to-DC charger installation description. Batteries Turn Off Twice now one or two of the three 130-Ah batteries have turned off when reaching low voltage (which happened because we were relying on incorrect SOC values). The SOC readings themselves looked OK, but the voltage did not correspond with SOC. The battery State in the Lithionics app reads “Off” for each battery when it is off. There is no flag on the Zamp or Xantrex control panel that alert the user to one or two batteries being off. The lesson (at least for me): monitor all three batteries, not just one, and note the Current, Power, State, and Status Code settings. If one or more batteries are off, turn the battery(ies) back on, and fully charge to 14.4 volts. Inverter Noise The Xantrex charger/inverter can be noisy charging the batteries with shore power (I’ve measured 60-64 decibels in the cabin when batteries are charging, and about 72 decibels adjacent to the inverter). The noise comes from (1) the charger/inverter fan and (2) the way in which the inverter is mounted (the fiberglass wall to which the inverter is mounted propagates noise into the cabin). The noise can be masked by turning on the A/C. Alternatively, the noise level can be reduced somewhat by lowering the charger current. In the Xantrex app, go to settings, and change the Charger Current from, for example, 100 amps to 30 amps. This will reduce fan noise. It will obviously take longer to charge the batteries with lower current. If you would like to be connected to shore power (to run an electric heater or the A/C, for example), but not charge the batteries (to avoid keeping them fully charged for long periods of time, or to reduce inverter noise) you can set the charger ignition control in the Xantrex app settings to “auto-on” (thanks to NCEagle for figuring this one out). In this mode shore power energizes the 110 outlets, the A/C, and the fridge, but does not charge the batteries. Turn the charger ignition control “off” to resume charging batteries with shore power. There are likely ways of re-mounting the inverter so that noise does not propagate into the cabin, with either a different mounting location or perhaps mounts using rubber bushings. Has anyone tried this yet? Xantrex Communication Errors Too often, I’ve gotten “Code 20” communication errors on the Xantrex remote panel. This can be resolved by pushing the red button on the 300A breaker under the streetside bed, waiting for at least 30 minutes, and then pressing in the little red flag on the breaker. Yes, this is a pain (I wish this breaker were more accessible), but it usually resolves the issue. Leaving the Xantrex inverter on battery mode for 25 hours or more will result in the Code 20 communication error. The time limit can be changed in the Xantrex app, but cannot be lengthened to more than 25 hours. As long as the inverter has not timed out, turning the inverter off and then on again at the remote panel resets the 25-hour time-limit clock. Battery Storage Lithionics provides guidance for storing the lithium batteries (see link below). Long term storage can include lowering the SOC to about 50%. Discharging to the appropriate SOC can be accomplished by turning on an electrical load (e.g., A/C or space heater) while in battery mode and monitoring frequently. Theoretically one could set the inverter cutoff voltage (in the inverter app, under settings), to something like 13.2 volts, but the highest cutoff-voltage option is 12.8 volts. Lithionics recommends keeping a log of SOC and voltage readings prior to and after storage for warranty purposes. ------------------------ Hope this helps. Again, please correct any errors that you see, and please add your observations and tips. Fritz ------------------------------------------ Relevant Links Lithionics battery app: https://support.olivertraveltrailers.com/portal/api/kbArticles/386680000012415191/locale/en/attachments/lpqvx861bbc9c842d48f7995281b07d0a193d/content?portalId=edbsnfe5dceb1ade7571879ff200cb63e14a94b62f48e3338c31a6401acd00130b0bc&inline=true). Lithionics battery manual: At the time of this writing, the Oliver Knowledge Base has links to Lithionics manuals for 125 Ah and 320 Ah batteries. However, our LE2 has three 130 Ah batteries as part of the 390-Ah package, and the manuals for the 125-AH batteries and the 130-Ah batteries are not the same. A manual for the 130 Ah battery can be found on the Lithionics website: https://lithionicsbattery.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/12V130-G31LRBM8-Battery-User-Guide-R1.pdf. Lithionics Storage Procedure https://support.olivertraveltrailers.com/portal/api/kbArticles/386680000012415191/locale/en/attachments/lrotz3ebee5a7020f42a58eb0d4db18a41356/content?portalId=edbsnfe5dceb1ade7571879ff200cb63e14a94b62f48e3338c31a6401acd00130b0bc&inline=true Lithionics FAQs https://support.olivertraveltrailers.com/portal/api/kbArticles/386680000012415191/locale/en/attachments/lrotz0edc34bc92ef4dce941bbb7f3f2d89db/content?portalId=edbsnfe5dceb1ade7571879ff200cb63e14a94b62f48e3338c31a6401acd00130b0bc&inline=true Xantrex Remote Bluetooth Pairing and Operation https://support.olivertraveltrailers.com/portal/en/kb/articles/xantrex-remote-bluetooth-pair-operation

Bumping this thread, I am keeping an eye out for possible Black Friday sales, since I want to buy three more of these for Christmas gifts. The manufacturer did have a BF event a few years back, however I do not know if that is common. So, if anyone sees these discounted with free shipping anywhere, such as at Expedition Portal, please post a heads up message here. https://elementfire.com/collections/allproducts Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

Yes on the forklift - no on the shade trees (there is a relatively small landscaped area but the new tree in there will take years before it produces enough shade to make an ant stop sweating). The entrance to the Service area can be seen in the Galway pictures above - no more than 100 yards from the farthest campsite (total distance traveled). Bill

When I went from a Ram 1500 to a Ram 2500 I stopped using the Andersen. I bought a quality hitch that fits the 2.5” receiver without a sleeve. It has made hitching and unhitching a lot easier and faster! Mike

I used Columbus McKinnon 3/8” G70 clevis slip hooks (WLL 6600 lbs) because they fit the holes in the hitch and Columbus McKinnon 3/8” G70 transport chain (WLL 6600 lbs) because it fit the hooks. I had some stainless steel spacers turned to 1.360” diameter, one at 1.740” long, two at 0.55” long, and two at 0.30” long. A hole bored through the spacers fits a 1/2 bolt. The 1.740” spacer just slips inside the tongue when the hitch bolts are loosened. The bolt is a 1/2 inch grade 8 because I didn’t want to enlarge the holes in the tongue. The unthreaded portion of the bolt extends almost to the outside edge of the last SS spacer. The middle photo shows the bolt before I shortened it and a regular nut for fitting purposes. I cut the excess threads off, secured it with a new Nylock nut and covered it with a new Radolid VCI nut cap.

New feature: weight distributing tires!

I spoke with Jason Essary about this when we picked up the trailer. He expressed concern that reducing the warm-air vent closest to the cold-air return would force more air into the second duct (the one that sends warm air to the vent under the drawers and the one in the bathroom, but that this line wouldn't carry enough air for the the furnace to operate correctly if the closest air vent were closed too much. So I suppose it would depend on just how much you close off the closest air vent. I agree that the system short-cycles. However, the interior space is sufficiently small that the air mixes well enough. It gets warm throughout the cabin, in our experience. Leaving the bathroom door slightly open (or installing a vent) helps.

FYI, place a 12 inch bungee cord on top of the ball mount, and hook the ends to your chains. No more dragging and rusting! That is a nice clean setup, I like it. John Davies Spokane WA

It's N2, nitrogen. Helium would make the trailer lighter 🙂 And there is no need to get rid of it, just top up with regular air (which is 78% N2) as needed. I used to use nitrogen all the time, on airplanes. I agree it is a gimmick for normal cars. John Davies Spokane WA

One other thing I thought of using is black vehicle 3m striping, does hold up well on exterior use, so clean the vinyl with a good cleaner product for vinyl and put it on. This striping is sold in different sizes, so measure an order the color and size you would need, 1" should work well. I would put it one with the molding installed on the windows because of the rounded corners. Being a retired body shop for 35 plus years I see no problem why this wouldn't work. If your not good with working with decals/striping materials get help from someone who is. trainman

If the threading is compatible, you may be able to buy just the trickle valve from High Sierra and add that to the existing faucet - https://www.highsierrashowerheads.com/shop/trickle-valves/

We just got back from a trip and didn't have much trouble finding spots. I made two reservations ahead of time that I knew we'd need - Great Basin and Palo Duro - but everything else was either BLM or no reservations and had no problems. Could have done USFS at Great Basin, but the campground was mostly empty after the first night, so it was just as well.

In the never ending search to buy stuff for the Ollie and TV. I was watching videos of the Overland expo on tools and gadgets. I thought the pictured tool bag was a good idea. Although the one in the video was selling in the neighborhood of $150.00 I found this one on amazon for $49.00 there are many mfgs and pricing for this type tool bag. I’m impressed with the quality and the ability to separate your tools in different pouches. It holds all the tools I normally carry. Then roll it up and store it away. I thought this was a good item to share.

I will add to the elasticity verbiage - perhaps the Covid effects on our RV experience centered around time elasticity. The shoulder seasons have always been our best times for discovery, avoiding the "on" season crowd. As my SO enjoys her professional life way past normal retirement - time is not as elastic as it could be -a little more rigid than I prefer. I'm also finding my physical "elasticity" waning with each cycle around the sun. Ahh such is life. RB

FWIW, Oliver now officially recommends and is delivering EII tires at 55psi, per the latest new owner walk-thru video.

We dry camped this year in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, South Dakota and a few over nights in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Nebraska this Spring, Summer and Fall. No restrictions and 'wide open' for hikers and outdoor people in general. The Air was fresh, cool and brisk! A couple camped in Utah at 10,000 feet were staying inside their trailer wearing face masks. They never left their trailer. We found everyone was enjoying the outdoors and not concerned about what City Folk were fearing... no body. Had lively discussions about camping and how to find great camping spots. Known or undiscovered places. Smaller towns had a sign asking you wear a face mask. Many Service Stations did not in some less populated areas. It was hit and miss this Summer. Campsites... no Covid fears. Bow hunters... no Covid fears. Fisherman... the same. It was a wonderful experience getting out and feeling 'normal' again. If you are planning to Boondock in the NFS and BLM or State Lands... it was wide open in the Rocky Mountains. We laid back and aaaaaaah.... 🙂 Planning a Western Adventure? No congestion of campers... the trailer crowd were at RV Camps. The public lands were wide open during peak season. It was a pleasant surprise that we were all... alone. Popular areas like Cedar Breaks at 10,200 feet in July & August, just east of Cedar City, Utah had 80% vacancy in the trees and in the wide open spaces. It snowed and hailed one day... in August by Duck Creek. Enough to cover the ground for several hours. Anyone who says the RV Parks were crowded... they missed out on the wide open trailer accessible dry camps. Those who manage to be comfortable Off the Grid... do not Plan to go out West into the Rocky Mountains. Just... GO and be the 'accidental tourist'. We have done it since 2006 and return to many of our favorite campsites... never to be disappointed that the area was full. We even got a Daily Campsite on the west side of Flathead Lake in Montana... by just driving up and had NON Reserved spots available... for people like us. No Plan. No Reservations. No worry... Try it. You will become Young and Ambitious Boondockers. After a few attempts learning how to manage at the worst spot in nowhere... it is better than having neighbors within five feet of you camped! Any day. Even Meteor City, west of Albuquerque, New Mexico... was great. Blue Heelers, too.

I too am a little apprehensive to spend $100 on a gasket, especially since ILOVHER has had quite a few additional expenditures as of late. Your idea sounded intriguing to me so I went down the investigative rabbit hole. Looks like a can of VHT vinyl dye in black might just be a worthy and less expensive option. I may just try it! https://www.amazon.com/VHT-SP942-Vinyl-Black-Satin/dp/B000CPIN9S?th=1

One option for those with an excessively loud charging fan might be to add another smaller charger to the system. A 15-20 amp silent unit could be utilized most of the time with the option to use the high power unit when needed. This might actually increase the battery life with the slower charge rate and likelihood to reduce the depth of discharge.

Here is the Word version of the checklist we used. Again, Fritz and others did all the heavy lifting on this. Inspection Checklist Ver 20211004.docx Now, for the truth....Did we go through EVERY item on the list at our pick-up last month...No . As mentioned above, given the excitement, exhaustion from trip preparation, etc., it was really hard for us focus on every item. But we did take time to enjoy delivery and have fun! We did run through the list, and as I mentioned in our delivery day post, I was totally impressed with corrective actions taken on recent issues. Hanna in Delivery knew of every recent issue I raised and provided a detailed description of what had been done to address it. We I asked about the battery box support nuts, she immediately dove into the rear settee compartment to check them, she mentioned she could not remember having done that on their pre-delivery inspection. And yes, they were tight. So, while we didn't check every item on the list with our own eyes, we asked Hanna about it and discussed it. Other examples include: didn't crawl under the frame to check every zerk fitting, the ones I could see had grease showing in the right areas. didn't check to ensure there were balance weights on the tires, but I did ask if the tires had been balanced. didn't check that the Xantrex inverter had the latest firmware, but asked if it had been updated. didn't get out my ladder and check the roof, solar panel attachments, etc. Now that we are home, we are taking more time to review items. So far, everything that Hanna told us was completely accurate (tires were balanced, inverter had latest firmware, etc). 👍 Given that we were totally newbies, I would add the following to our checklist.... While at the Oliver Campsite (which is very nice!), test every system to ensure you know how it works. We did not try to empty the grey water tank after the first night, even through they have a dump station at the Oliver campsite. A couple of days later when we went to actually drain the tank, we could not get it to drain 😲! We called service, and with calm help on the phone, realized our trailer was not very level at the dump station. Our problem was due to pesky gravity. Had we done this at Oliver's dump site, we would have better understood this issue. 🤪

WOW! The person that backed into that spot really did a fine job! Just got to believe that Maddie and Baxter helped. 🥰

It was a lovely fall evening at new Oliver Campground!

Don’t expect perfection. Your Oliver will be better built than about any other brand trailer out there, but will probably have a glitch or two. Mine did, I posted about it years ago, got it fixed (at Olivers expense) and have been camping trouble free since. Oliver doesn’t censor this forum, it’s all about owners helping owners here. Mike

As I search this forum for technical advice, I keep finding new threads addressing yet more, and recent, production oversights. This one adds another item to the checklist I am preparing for when I take delivery on my Elite II: "Verify that furnace air flow to all vents, including the one in the bathroom, is adequate." While I laud Oliver for sponsoring this forum, and for leaving exposed errors like this one publicly visible, I surely hope Oliver's QC folks bring their "A" game when my Ollie is built......

The grass is always greener ..... With that beast of a tow vehicle you will not have any problems anywhere towing the Elite II. And, you certainly will not have to deal with the weight distribution hitch unless (for some reason) you want to. While all of this may seem confusing and perhaps difficult at this point, it really isn't all that hard. Checklists are your friend, particularly when first starting out, when its raining, when you are in a hurry, when "stuff" happens, and, pretty much all the time. The only reason(s) that lithium batteries make sense is if you want/need to be able to have air conditioning (without using a generator), you are a very large power user, have issues with the weight of the camper, or plan on boondocking extensively. On this last point - I still have my original 4 lead acid batteries with the Oliver solar package. I've been without being plugged into shore power or generator power for as long as 7 weeks and the batteries have never been below 82% FULL! No worries. Bill

To rideandfly: I like the way you answered... very easy to follow... but of course i have one question :-). On your " twin custom memory foam mattresses from AB Lifestyles". Are your mattresses the 11" version? And are you happy with the way they look, fit and of course feel in your Ollie? I've spoke with the very nice lady at AB Lifestyles (Janice) and want to purchase from them (waiting on supply chain issues to clear up for them). My concern is buying them before we actually take delivery of our Ollie... (thinking of the 11" thickness?) but at the same time want to get all the "solid" purchases made and delivered in preparation for our 4/29/22 delivery date. Steph and Dud B- you are asking all the right questions. For what it's worth, our purchase is coming from the other direction when we found Oliver. We have traveled extensively in our high-end teardrop camper. After much time considering what we wanted for creature comforts, what features/amenities would have "fixed" this problem or that... the Oliver just checked all the boxes. It's not the biggest camper, but it's enough for us. We can boondock, moochdock, and every other dock because now we are self sufficient. We are travelers, more than campers... so it needed to be easy to move around. We also needed to know that if the weather goes to heck in a hand-basket we can be comfortable till things clear up. We simply had to have quality because shiny things aren't at all pretty when they break! On the resale end of it... I know from my own research that they hold their value and someday, if we have to sell it... the only thing we did was tie up some money for a while (most of the other brands you need to know you are going end up taking a real hit!). Because I'm still waiting on ours... I'm watching, learning, paying attention to how the veteran owners feel about their Oliver experience... I must say I'm quite impressed and seldom have I felt so secure in a decision "to buy".

I have to believe that some of these problems mentioned are random and one-off rather than a consistent failure to complete components correctly. For example, during delivery I did not catch that there was no caulking around my kitchen sink, and I did not catch that only one duct was connected to the furnace and the other duct was loose. Also, I didn't catch the big gap around my screen door until a week later when the trailer filled with mosquitoes! I think the people in the factory are doing a good job overall, but something is bound to slip by any given worker on any given day. In case the Oliver quality control process doesn't catch it, it's important to use this list and spend as much time as necessary at OTT before driving away so that you can catch anything that needs attention. The problem is that we're so excited and emotional to finally be picking up our trailer that our eyes are not as sharp as they might otherwise be. When I have a friend who wants to buy a car I always suggest they take me with them so that I can look at it with a more skeptical eye. Maybe I should have done that when I picked up the trailer.

Nice work, very impressive. If I'd have known you were about to tackle this difficult job, I would have loaned you my trained octopus. She can reach anywhere from several different directions at the same time.

I placed one on each side of the center console - they're out of the way but visible and in reach even with a jammed seat belt. I thought we had a thread on these a few years ago. Maybe that was over on expo. They're great, but not cheap. I keep both mine in the truck and then just grab one to put in the trailer when we're camped. The clips that came with them hold them pretty solidly.

So ... just talked with ScubaRX (great guy! ... & his wife was perfectly pleasant too!) ... first, to confirm, my tongue does not have the second bolt (vertical under the LP tanks) ... ScubaRX informs me that the 2nd bolt came into play later around 2016 when someone reported the nut had come loose from the bolt on the main tongue bolt ... only happened once, but in being cautious the Oliver folks began using a 2nd bolt for safety thereafter. Otherwise, Scuba too indicated a small amount of play/rattle is not unheard of. So, again, I think I'm good to go. Thanks all! Cheers

Update on Disc Brakes: It has now been more than 7 months since my install. We have pulled the OO-II about 13000 miles since then. From here to northern Washington and from here to extreme eastern Tennessee and a couple of trips back and forth to the factory with two different tow vehicles. The brakes have performed flawlessly. I did have to adjust the on board brake controller down a couple of points to keep them from locking up all four wheels at one time. I have crawled under it several times to make sure there were no fluid leaks. I had a problem at the initial install with a fitting leaking and it took replacing the fitting to get it to stop. Apparently, it was defective from the factory but it made me a little gun-shy about leaks. Not a drop since. I am happy with them.