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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
    10 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.
    6 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.
    6 points
  4. 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."
    3 points
  5. 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 🙂 )
    3 points
  6. 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.
    3 points
  7. Thanks for posting Mike, Great info. We plan to let our AGMs run the course and maybe consider Lithium batteries someday. David
    3 points
  8. 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.
    3 points
  9. Glad to hear Oliver is on top of this. Your key points are spot on!
    3 points
  10. 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.
    3 points
  11. 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.
    3 points
  12. 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
  13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywn-vBjKblI
    2 points
  14. 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
  15. Moving the magnet inside the dinette seat has made a big difference. We also used command tape and it has held well over the years.
    2 points
  16. 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.
    2 points
  17. #837 will be at the 2023 balloon festival. Plan to stay at the KOA the first 3 days. Wishing you safe travels and lots of adventures.
    2 points
  18. Bill, we have a Canyon too. Even before we owned our OE2, we replaced our mirrors with a pair from Clearview Mirrors USA. They're a huge improvement over the original GMC mirrors, whether you're towing or not. Steve
    2 points
  19. 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.
    2 points
  20. Good interview! Our single 100AH BB battery is working great for us with two 100W suitcase solar panels.
    2 points
  21. 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
  22. I agree Charlie! Battle Born Batteries is a top notch company with great customer service. Kirk
    2 points
  23. 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
  24. Thank you for the suggestions. Two complete flushes with fresh water and baking soda down the drains and into gray tank later. AF Oder is gone. FYI the best Oder free AF we found is Splash -75degree at Home Depot. We used it to winterize and no smell now!!😎
    2 points
  25. 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
  26. 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
  27. Well, I think Dolly said "you can't put 10 pounds in a 5 pound sack" or something like that 😶 Charlie.
    1 point
  28. It's absolutely worth having a spare fan standing by. I've received two from them as well and already had to replace the original. Couldn't be easier to due and fully understandable as to why these little fans, running 24 hours a day, would eventually burn out. I sometimes run the fan for a few days when returning from a trip if I am not replacing the medium. Have noticed that if it is dry out, the medium itself does dry and some fine coir dust is pulled through the fan and deposited into the translucent exhust tube. I'd bet tht dust does not make the fan too happy. Will hit the fan with air from my travel compressor when changing medium in the future to minimize this problem
    1 point
  29. 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
  30. John look up fit RV on youtube the guy is crazy meticulous and does a good job with reviews about his installations. He did a whole episode about the back up camera and he uses it as a rear view mirror, I plan to watch it again when I get home tonight. I forget what it was its been a while since I watched it, it may not even work on an Oliver. He also does a real good job of explaining lithium Batteries. I think its one of the best explanations Ive seen from anyone. I suppose if Bar-tailed godwit can make the trip I guess you can do it in an Oliver. Bill
    1 point
  31. Death isn't all that bad - once you get used to it.😁
    1 point
  32. Thanks. I opened a ticket online. I like the paper trail too. It's a high quality camper so I am confident that I can get it fixed. I wrote to Rodney Lomax too at Rivernerd's suggestion and included comments by bhncb (something like that) where it was pointed out that these flare nuts can fail for a variety of reasons. Hopefully it will be authorized for service here. If I attempt to fix it and fail, OTT won't know where the fault was. My attempted repair, OTT, or a defective flange nut. As far as I know my camper was the first to get the Truma package. John
    1 point
  33. My wife is going to kill me for posting these but it won’t be the first time.
    1 point
  34. 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
  35. Paranoid? Not completely. We listed our home for sale about 7 months ago, east of Indianapolis. It sold in 3 days. The listing was on Zillow and immediately showed as pending sold. By the pictures on the listing on Zillow you could tell we had already moved out. Within two days after it showed pending, our neighbor was sitting on his front porch late at night just enjoying the nice weather and overheard a couple arguing in our driveway about whether they should go into the house since it was vacant. The neighbor informed me of the situation and needless to say I moved back into the house temporarily until the new owners took possession. I don't think you can ever be too cautious.
    1 point
  36. 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
  37. 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
  38. I wanted to update this post. Within a couple of days of initiating this post I made contact with the factory. The service team was very helpful in setting me up with a local repair shop. To make a long story short, everything was fixed by Labor Day at no cost to me. No leaks, looks good!
    1 point
  39. Thanks for the "heads up" about the gelcoat on the roof. We took delivery of Hull #1291 yesterday. Our preliminary inspection has revealed generally good attention to detail so far. But, a roof issue surfaced today. It rained in Hohenwald last night. We found a water leak near the air conditioner onto the bed after driving to David Crockett State Park. As we had not used the AC yet, we figure a sealant failure around the AC unit allowed residual rainwater to leak through the hulls during the drive. So, we will be back in Hohenwald on Monday to get that leak addressed. I begin a more thorough inspection, including the quality of the gelcoat and sealant application on the roof, tomorrow. Any additional issues revealed by this weekend's inspection and continued systems testing will be added to our service ticket for Monday. I plan to open a new topic recounting our delivery, quality inspection and remedial service experience within the next week.
    1 point
  40. 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
  41. 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
  42. Mike, as you've evidently discovered, the drain pipe is indeed only a friction attachment. I agree that no harm was done with adding a little epoxy. My guess that in all the excitement of hitting the deer and probably then slamming on the brakes, the weight of the gray water inside the tank was enough to cause a slight shifting of the gray tank forward thereby dislodging the drain pipe from the top of the tank. The tanks are not strapped down. If they were it would be incredibly difficult to remove one out the rear bumper. Sorry this all happened, buddy. But, as Mighty Mouse used to say, it seems you've "...got the situation well in hand..."
    1 point
  43. 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
  44. 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
  45. Hello Jason, Kelly and Stormy, welcome to the Ollie family! The balloon festival sounds so fun, looking forward to seeing your photos!
    1 point
  46. The 2000W inverter in the LEs only powers the GFCI outlet circuit. Refrig, water heater, and A/C require either shore or generator power.
    1 point
  47. Let me expand on this a bit. 1- The AC will drain your Lithium batteries if used for too long, but it won't do it in an hour. 2- A 1000W generator can output a maximum of just over 8 Amps. If you've used 360 amps out of your batteries running the AC for several hours it will take this generator nearly two days to recharge your batteries. 3- LiFePo batteries can take thousands of cycles.
    1 point
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