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Showing content with the highest reputation on 12/01/2022 in all areas

  1. Hi y'all. Some of you know that I picked up #1290 on 11/7 and have now arrived back in Oregon where I discovered a gas leak from the flange nut on the Truma furnace. After weighing all the possibilities for a remedy, even considering just tightening the nut, I wrote Rodney Lomax who then talked to Jason Essary who contacted me and said he was now taking control of the gas leak ticket. Initially I was told by the service department it wasn't a warranty issue and I thought that was odd. That's why at the suggestion of a couple forum members, I wrote to see if they would pay for this repair. Jason assured me that they take gas leaks seriously and yes, OTT would make sure that a technician would fix the leak and test the propane system thoroughly. I made an appointment in Oregon which is two months out, but that's OK since we aren't going anywhere. Key points. 1, make sure you test everything out. Stay nearby, ideally at the OTT campground. 2, if something isn't quite right, let them know so it's fixed before leaving Hohenwald. 3, this company makes a good product and does everything they can to be transparent and will work with you to fix a problem. At this point I am still happy that I chose Oliver over some other brand. John
    9 points
  2. We picked up on Monday and left the area on Friday. I should have returned before leaving as I suspected that I smelled gas, but I thought maybe it's was just new furnace smells. My error actually in not returning. Lesson learned.
    5 points
  3. Flat towing a toad requires the same diligence, and adherence to checklists, as towing a trailer. Small mistakes can have big consequences. When our last fifth wheel was brand-new a motorhome with a toad pulled into a site diagonal from ours. They unhitched the car while it was still in neutral. It then rolled downhill and hit our fifth wheel. We were lucky on several counts. We weren't inside our trailer, or we probably would have been injured. The car struck diagonally on the steel rear bumper of the trailer, instead of the fiberglass body. Our landing gear and stabilizer jacks were on "Lego" blocks, so the trailer pivoted on impact, with the jacks sliding off the blocks. There was virtually no damage to our trailer. The rear hatch of the car was a different story. Not that I haven't made mistakes while hooking up or disconnecting a trailer. I've done a few really stupid things, usually by getting distracted in the process. Now I try to be super diligent about following my checklists.
    5 points
  4. John, you and I have about the same build. My big concern and probably the Op's is how I would fit and feel inside the Ollie. Most travel trailers are a close fit for anyone over 6ft. At 6'2" many travel trailers just clear the top of my head and overhead items like AC, vent and doorways often come in contact. It was and is refreshing that the E2 doesn't have that problem and with the bright interior it just feels more spacious. With our visit the other day to finalize our order details I finally put it all to rest as far as fit and comfort. The beds are perfect for both of us, the dinette works just fine and like you said the overall size of the trailer is still sized for easy travels down the road. The bath is a little tight but I've never camped out in the bath much and this will be conducive to conserving water during showers. In and out quick. The term I would use to describe the inside of the LE2 is cozy and comfortable.
    3 points
  5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywn-vBjKblI
    2 points
  6. Hi Everyone- We are getting ready to purchase an Oliver Elite II. We are purchasing this sight unseen, but have done our homework with regards to the Oliver. I have seen plenty of pictures of the exterior, but not one (maybe I'm looking in the wrong place) of people on the inside of the trailer. I've seen loads of the empty interior photos, but not with people actually in it. I'm trying to get a sense of the space with people inside. If anyone has any interior photos with people in it you'd like to share, I would really appreciate seeing them! Thanks in advance- Kate-Delaware
    2 points
  7. I'll bet this has been stated thousands of times through the years. Yet still, there are folks that pick up and leave the same day. When they have a problem down the road a bit they want to get on here and complain. This is GREAT advice and and should be heeded by all. There's really no good excuse not to stick around a few days and check everything out, just build the extra time into your pickup experience. I promise you won't regret it. John, it's really good to hear you've been taken care of by Oliver and I believe you will never be disappointed "...that I chose Oliver over some other brand."
    2 points
  8. Yes, necessity is always the mother of invention! As far as the table goes... it's pretty tough and it's made to be used. We learned a trick from the locals (after paying close to a $100 each a few times) just for the two of us to have fresh lobster. They said no one up there does that!! They said go to the local grocery store where for $8.99lb we chose four lobsters out of a tank... they steamed them right there in the store while we were shopping for other things (like lots of butter)... took them back to the camper and had them along with some fresh corn on the cob. As soon as dinner was finished they went right back out the door, in the same bag they came in. The smell was gone within two days. (just kidding... no smell right away 🙂 )
    2 points
  9. The very first time I set in an Oliver... I thought the table felt a little bit "cramped"... so I made plans to make my own dinette table to "dress up the Oliver". I make furniture so it wasn't a problem. Imagine my surprise when later on, while waiting on ours to be delivered I saw where Foy makes them for many of the Oliver owners! I made ours out of some select quarter-sawn walnut and put one of my favorite finishes on it which is pretty much bullet proof. Taking some inspiration from the pictures of Foy's night stand and pantry... I had glued up some blanks for those as well... but we found that we liked the clean and bright look of the Oliver... so haven't implemented those ideas. Then after our first trip I did see the wisdom (imitation is the best form of flattery right?) of the night stand organizer and the silverware tray. I did ours with the cloud lifts which is also inspired by the Greene and Greene look. I do think the "wider" dinette table is nice and as you can see it makes it bit easier to have a nice dinner. I did not want to interfere with the ability to sit sideways with the cushion along the wall... so I didn't go any larger in that direction.
    2 points
  10. Thanks for posting Mike, Great info. We plan to let our AGMs run the course and maybe consider Lithium batteries someday. David
    2 points
  11. Thanks for the information I will look into it. Do you have gas or diesel in your Canyon? The Diesel pulled way better than I expected we left Oliver and drove over the Smokies with no problem and the Jake brakes work very well. I was impressed to say the least. We got 28 mpg on the way down and about 20 pulling the trailer, it’s a good thing with Diesel at $6.00 a gallon.
    2 points
  12. Glad to hear Oliver is on top of this. Your key points are spot on!
    2 points
  13. I had the same reaction to Oliver's $800 price for the backup camera. But then I thought through how I would run the wire between the hulls from the camera to the power switch, and whether I could feasibly install a power switch in the main switch panel, so the camera does not operate 24/7. I am pretty handy, but we ultimately paid the premium to have Oliver install the backup camera in our Hull #1291 during the production process. The work was nicely done. We were glad to have it during our 2000+ mile trip home to Idaho.
    2 points
  14. At $19.99 a gallon I'm sure glad that we don't have sensitive smell. I use three gallons of this one at $3.99 (Walmart). Never noticed any smell from it after a normal rinse out.
    2 points
  15. Sorry to go off thread, but there's a new Addams family series on Netflix. WEDNESDAY. I've only watched a few episodes, but it's pretty good.
    2 points
  16. We installed four BBs in our 2013 Airstream and we have re-installed three (they weren't hooked up correctly) in our 2020 Ollie. Couldn't be happier! Battleborn was great to work with in both installations. Charlie.
    2 points
  17. Hi All! We are on our way to the International Balloon Fiesta and and will be staying Monday-Thursday in the VIP West (Harvest Host) area. Anyone else heading that way and/or interested in an impromptu meet-up? We are currently Airstreamers, but ordered our Ollie last week, so expectant family members. We’re full-timers and heading to Alaska next summer. We’d love to meet up with other travelers. Cheers, Jason (The Captain), Kelly (The Admiral) & Stormy (The Ensign)
    1 point
  18. Good morning Oliver family, We just became members last Thursday!! We are so excited about our upcoming adventures. Question for you. I ordered several upgrades from Foy Sperring and one of them was the wood insert to put in-between the twin beds to convert it to a queen. We have the new mattresses, not the KTT. Does anyone on the forum have this? Can you tell me where you ordered a foam insert for the middle and at what depth? Thanks in advance. LOVE everything so far!
    1 point
  19. Its never happened to us, but thru the years, I've read several accounts of the bathroom door being shattered when left open while traveling. I always travel with ours closed and latched.
    1 point
  20. I use the same magnets. Installed all the way at the bottom corner of the door and they are so strong that I have to be careful when closing to not have them slam together. I tried to use command strips and they eventually peeled off even though I prepped the surface nicely. Oddly, the magnets are not strong enough to hold the door open while driving. Went ahead and just screwed things in place. Later in this chain, it was suggested to mount one magnet inside the dinette seat which is a great idea but, as my holes are drilled, I'll stick with what I got. Can always add a little something over one of the magnets to slow down the bond if need be.
    1 point
  21. I have a gallon of that. I can put a red bow on it and no one will know it's a gallon of rv antifreeze.
    1 point
  22. “Customer states car won’t start after towing behind RV… Clutch is hard to operate.” https://www.thedrive.com/news/rv-driver-annihilates-fiat-500-by-flat-towing-it-in-first-gear-on-the-highway John Davies Spokane WA
    1 point
  23. We boondocked one cold night in Oklahoma on our way home from Hohenwald a couple of weeks ago. We ran the furnace all night. By morning there were white flakes falling from the sky. The power drain on our 390 Ah Lithium Pro Package was about 15% (meaning the Lithionics app showed about 85% State of Charge on all 3 of our batteries that morning). Even though the next day was mostly cloudy, our batteries were back close to 100% State of Charge by that evening just from solar recharge. Our trailer, like all Olivers with lithium batteries, is not recharged by the tow vehicle alternator. While battery drain should not be an issue when running the furnace overnight for up to 4-5 nights, you should also keep tabs on your propane supply. We burned through about 1.6 gallons of propane every cold night. So, with the two stock 5-gallon propane tanks, you should be o.k. for those same 4-5 nights before getting your propane tanks refilled.
    1 point
  24. Good interview! Our single 100AH BB battery is working great for us with two 100W suitcase solar panels.
    1 point
  25. Pump pliers to crack your lobsters open! That's awesome! Certainly triggers the saying "Necessity is the mother of invention". I really hope they didn't fall off of your butter tray and ding your beautiful table. That would be absolutely tragic. I now know that we can have lobsters while traveling....because I, too, have Channel locks in my toolbox! Be honest - how long did it take for the smell to leave your camper Dave?!
    1 point
  26. That looks like Foy's table top. What size did you get? How is it working out? John
    1 point
  27. Hello, I have made several videos “Oliver Series” that show me inside the Oliver. Here is just one I did about bedding. Should help give you some perspective.
    1 point
  28. All 2023 Olivers come with the Truma Varioheat furnace. One of the 2023 demo models on the Oliver showroom floor has Truma AC, water heater and Varioheat furnace. The other 2023 demo has the Dometic AC, Suburban water heater, but the Truma Varioheat furnace.
    1 point
  29. You are welcome, Frank. As you can see about 98% of the classified ads were no longer valid, mainly due to their owners neglect, and have been removed. The new rules address that issue and will make that forum better for everybody. New Advertisement Rules Oliver Travel Trailers has granted each owner the privilege of posting a FREE advertisement on this forum in the event they find themselves with a need to sell their trailer. Few other fiberglass trailer manufacturers offers this level of service and dedication to their owners. As well as being free, it's the first place many people will look to see if they can locate the Oliver trailer they desire. If a potential buyer is viewing these ads, an Oliver is what they're looking for. Classified advertisements for trailer sales may remain posted for a maximum of 4 weeks. After 4 weeks the ad will be taken down but the seller is welcome to re-list one time which will reset the time clock. If, after two postings, the trailer has not been sold we suggest reassessing your advertisement and make adjustments that will make your trailer more desirable to potential buyers. Sellers are required to tend their advertisements. This means checking it at least once a day to see if there are any new inquiries. If there are, seller should address these in an immediate post on the forum. If the seller wishes to communicate directly with the potential buyer, that's OK as long as the information is also posted on the forum to allow everybody to know the status of the proceedings. When the trailer has sold the seller is required to post that information as the ending entry in their ad and notify the moderators that the trailer has sold. The seller is also required to notify Oliver Travel Trailers by filling out the form found here.
    1 point
  30. I've been charging mine (hull #709, with Xantrex Freedom Pro 3000 inverter/charger/converter unit) by adjusting the inverter setting so that it won't draw more than 14 amps (I have a few light bulbs on the same circuit so want to leave headroom for them). I think it's a different setting than John circled above - as the units are in amps, but if you check the settings on your inverter you should be able to sort out which to adjust for this purpose. Before I did this, I tripped the circuit if I plugged in with SOC low enough that the charger was in "bulk charge" mode, but it's been fine with this setting. It's easy to switch the setting from the Xantrex phone app, e.g. in the rare event I'm plugged in to a 30 amp outlet at a campground as I was back in June.
    1 point
  31. This is very incorrect. As long as you manage the AC loads correctly, you can certainly run off a 20 amp or 15 amp circuit. The 30 amp power is needed for running all the loads at once. When hooked up to a smaller supply, just turn off the hot water heater and fridge circuit breakers (run them on propane). Do not operate the microwave. Do not expect to run the air conditioner while charging lithium batteries. Do the latter early in the morning, until they are topped up, then turn off the charger and run the aircon in the afternoon…. I rarely hook up to shore power, and when I do it is hardly ever 30 amp. You can access the xantrex charge control settings and turn down the output current if needed, this has been discussed in several other threads. John Davies Spokane WA
    1 point
  32. That would seem reasonable. If there is only one possible shore connection and it's rated at 30 amps and that's what's required to operate the battery charger, we are pretty much constrained by the onboard system. This may have always been the case, after all the LE2 has always had a 30A shore requirement so you wouldn't want to connect that to a source that isn't rated for 30 amps regardless of the type of battery system.
    1 point
  33. I disagree. In our experience storing our 11” thick memory foam mattresses on their edge standing alone when we are not using our Ollie. We have had absolutely zero issues with either of them not retaining their original shape. Just an observation. Patriot 🇺🇸
    1 point
  34. I'm suspired that the Casita was not on that list, I owned one before we got our Oliver and it was a great trailer. 99% of Casita owner are very happy with there trailers and would buy again if need be. All being said, great value and return on your money. trainman
    1 point
  35. Memory foam cannot hold its weight on its side and will create a permanent hunched shape if left upright for an extended period of time. It is recommended to just leave your memory foam mattresses laying flat.
    1 point
  36. As far as a thin layer of gel-coat goes, I definitely would have it repaired, but only for aesthetics. This is not a potential for a roof leak. That roof is over two inches thick and the only one I've ever seen leak had a 1/4" hole drilled (accidentally) all the way through to the inside. Now, that will leak, but surprising little. A piece of duct tape on the outside would get you by for a looooong time.
    1 point
  37. Ron, We have never removed our cushions while in storage at our home and have not had any issues. I suppose you could stand them up on edge, we do this with our memory foam mattresses. We only run our dehumidifier above 41 degrees per the instructions in the owners manual. Nice job on the Ollie Hangar build It looks very similar to ours. 😊
    1 point
  38. We had the same problem with our roof on our Elite2 when we picked it up back in January. We didn't have a chance to look at the roof since we had to get out of town for an approaching winter storm. I told Jason about it but did not open a ticket. We've not had any leaks ... knock on wood :) John
    1 point
  39. That does appear as thin gel coat. It can be repaired. As close as you are to Hohenwald, I’d have them do it.
    1 point
  40. My wife and I like to recline on the single beds, looking out the back and side windows. We try to select a site that has something worth looking at in that direction. Lakes are good 😬 If you are traveling solo, you can do this. It’s a Zero Gravity type recliner. It will work in either direction, but this way is better for access to the sink, pantry, bathroom and outside door. Welcome to the forums. John Davies Spokane WA
    1 point
  41. We most often sit outside in comfortable lounge chairs (zero gravity) however we are very comfortable inside stretched out on our beds with pillows to support our backs. We are only in our camper at night, even rainy days we spend most time out in our Clam screen tent (with side panels on) but you can certainly get quite cozy stretched out on the bed.
    1 point
  42. We sit outside a lot. Comfortable camp chairs are important, there are a bunch to choose from. It’s mostly personal preference. As far as reclining goes, we recline on our beds quite often. A couple of pillows on the back wall and you’ve got a nice recliner, not laying flat on the bed but sitting leaning against the wall. It’s quite nice. We sit in the dinette but also recline on the beds. Our trips are usually much longer than 1-3 weeks and comfortable sitting hasn’t been an issue. Mike
    1 point
  43. We spent most of October in the Ozarks and Tennessee. Great trip, except for the last few days! Besides hitting a big deer in rural Louisiana and not being able to use our black tank flush, we also had a significant gray water leak. While stopped at a rest stop just inside Texas to check and fix all the inside chaos after driving I-20 through Shreveport, I noticed a steady trickle of water coming out of the rear bumper. We were parked facing uphill. Further inspection showed water coming out of the area where the black/gray drain pipe exits the trailer. It was pooling on the ground and was easy to see that it was gray. I started inside by checking under the dinette seat near the bathroom. There was standing gray water in the area where the drain pipe exits the back and goes to the gray tank. At that point we decided to cancel the rest of our trip and head straight home. After the deer strike my ability to turn right was cut in half without significant rubbing and I knew that black tank was an issue until I got the part. By the time we got home the area under the dinette seat was dry. I decided to tackle the issue in the morning so we just unloaded and called it a day. The next morning I checked again under the dinette seat, still dry. I checked as far under the shower pan that I could reach, it was dry. I check the gate and the connections there and it was dry. I moved to where the drain pipe enters the gray tank and BINGO, there it was. The drain pipe makes a 90 degree turn down into the tank after the gate. What I saw was the drain pipe half over the entry hole and half on top of the gray tank. So, showers and teeth brushing sent drain water half into the tank and half on top of the tank and then down to the floor. I disconnected the section that included the gate to get a better look at it. There is a rubber ring that fits inside the hole on top of the tank. The end of the drain pipe is somewhat tapered and it looks like it is meant to be held in place by friction - just jam the pipe into the rubber ring and call it a day. I cleaned the area on top of the tank, the rubber ring and the drain pipe end then mixed some epoxy and…, well it won’t be popping out anymore. I neglected to take pictures, I was still on my first cup of coffee and was intent on getting it fixed. I took one after I was done. So, my truck is in the body shop - should be done next week, the black tank flush is fixed and the gray water drain pipe is fixed. Ready for a January trip to Arizona! I’m going to open a service ticket to see how that drain pipe is supposed to be connected to the gray tank. Here is the drain pipe epoxied to the rubber ring which is epoxied to the top of the gray tank.
    1 point
  44. This was my third deer strike, the first not in our local area. We normally have a half dozen or so deer in our front yard most days. Saw this guy 15 feet from my front door the other day as I was going out to check mail.
    1 point
  45. Either way, in this particular application, it is not recommended that one use their lips to see if the one way valve is working.
    1 point
  46. Welcome! That's a great looking combination you have. As you've already found, there's a wealth of information here, and wonderful people more than willing to share. Numbers are going up fast! I don't think we'll be 1313 come March 28th, since they're building the trailers os quickly. If we were 1313, I was going to name the trailer Mockingbird. 🤪
    1 point
  47. I’ve got a bunch of chips. All is good. I wish mine were the size of a pin head, but most are larger. I may fix them at some point, but right now we’re too busy camping. Mike
    1 point
  48. 1st question - nope, you are good to go. Over time, dirt and grime will tend to collect in those chips and you might notice them more. 2nd question - Kind of like fixing paint chip on a car or truck. I've never been very good at it such that the "touch-up paint" doesn't show. One of the big problems in doing chip fix is getting the correct color - yes all Olivers are white but they are not all the same white. Or, you can wear those chips with pride. Kind of like a hard earned patina. 😉 Bill
    1 point
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