Jump to content

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 06/23/2026 in Posts

  1. UPDATE: Thanks to all who have offered tips, tricks, ideas and advice. I have ordered most of the equipment to finally assess the wiring. It's extremely hot in Texas -- so hot that the Parks are closing trails. I plan to continue this work of investigating and hopefully fixing when I get to New Mexico, where I will be at higher elevation (cooler) and in one place for a while.
    3 points
  2. New Will Prowse YouTube Video is out. I can't get it loaded. Here is the YouTube post page.
    3 points
  3. 3 points
  4. Since they're putting Alcan's on the new X23 models, maybe they'll offer that same upgrade to anyone ordering a standard model?
    2 points
  5. ....And springs!!
    2 points
  6. I first vacuum then simply crawl around on my knees and use Clorox disinfecting wipes along these dirty edges. Sometimes it takes pressure with the wadded up wipes, but with persistence they become clean. While down I also use the wipes to ‘mop’ the floor, which is generally done with a Swifter mop. But the Swifter alone will leave debris and grunge along the edges and thus, periodic deep clean with said wipes is needed. That said, I’m lucky to only have a couple spots of the adhesive visible below the shower door, which is only slightly yellowish in appearance and not a worry. I like @topgun2’s acetone idea, but only for the adhesive removal if it eventually becomes too unsightly.
    2 points
  7. Wow! Really? Can this be true? Six years ago, I purchased an old 12’ flatbed trailer to haul our dirt bikes and SxS. Dexter tandem axle 7K, same suspension as OEM Oliver. I planned to restore it, new wiring, lights, paint frame, new flooring, add brakes to the rear axle, etc. OMG, It had China tires! I quickly purchased a set of the US made Goodyear Endurance ST tires. Listed the old tires on Craig’s. Sold the set for $100 because I didn’t want to take any more money from anybody. I explained twice to the new owner, these are not safe for highway use! He was OK in using them for a landscape trailer. John, please explain to your friend he needs to buy new tires! Anybody taking possession of a new Oliver, let OTT know you’ll not accept delivery with those cheap tires! 🙃 Glad most of us have 16” rims with LT tires mounted!
    2 points
  8. Best built camper in the market... riding on Chinese steel springs and Chinese tires? .
    2 points
  9. I watched the OTT video on the 2027 model. It turned my stomach in disappointment. Can't stand the BLACK framed windows that look like eyesores to the interior. But worse than that... What educated buyer cares about fancy options when the basics are substandard? OTT is making design changes in their Hohenwald bubble when all they need to do is read a few threads on the forum they provide! It is a lot of reading, but OTT Management please start by reading the 37-page thread "Made in USA Leaf Springs." Dexter 1750 LB springs have been failing forever and they still mount them? Ten years ago, they mounted Michelin LT Agilis tires on 16" HD rims, now you get ST tires on 15" rims, and more recently some China Cr@p tires? 🤣 They should lose OPTIFUSE breakers and source something with quality. Lose Xantrex over the much-preferred Victron products. I'll give them one good choice in dropping Truma! All Jason talked about was the solar awning, made by another manufacturer, just bolted on by OTT. He said it works better in the morning, facing the sun, but then I'd have to get my tired butt up and out to erect it. You'd also have to think about sun direction when parking in addition to leveling! What if the level spot has no sun exposure in that direction? We've only used our awning 5-6 times in 3 years. They could put 600W solar on the roof with a directional mechanism. Now that would be useful! Why after 10+ years are they still mounting switches, fuses, breakers and water valves under the beds. I fixed all that after the fact, but it would be better if they would do the right things from the start! 😎 Why are there over 40K posts in the Mechanical & Technical Tips and Ollie Modifications forums alone? Better design would lead to less need for maintenance and modification of our hulls.
    1 point
  10. This was sensible on a cost basis 5 years ago and before. LiFePO4 batteries used to be expensive. Today you get far more usable Ah/$ going with LiFePO4 batteries over 4 "golf cart batteries!" Watering batteries doesn't have to be a thing anymore, OMG! 🤣 But what do I know? I really dislike connecting to shore power. With our recent upgrades, we travel for weeks without the need to plug in! Our DC-DC charger alone allows us to produce more Ahs in 5 hours towing than you have in your entire system after being plugged in all night, and that's if your batteries were brand new. Really, take a good look at LiFePO4 today! You'll save money outright on an Ah/$ basis. When you figure 10-year vs. 5-year life, the savings truly double! Lead acid only belongs in the tow vehicle as a starter battery, not anymore for deep-cycle storage.
    1 point
  11. Shades of Sephen King. Will these tires become a sequel to Christine?
    1 point
  12. Yes, they are. There's a long history of people reporting sudden, catastrophic failures of Castle Rock tires. One of our previous trailers came with them and we replaced them before our first trip. I advise anyone who gets an Oliver wearing Castle Rock tires to replace them immediately with a quality trailer tire like Goodyear Endurance. We also had very good luck with Maxxis M8008 ST tires. Ran those on two or our trailers for years and many miles after Goodyear started having problems with their Marathon trailer tires (which they later replaced with the improved Endurance).
    1 point
  13. On my 2020 OLEll the microwave is plugged directing into the GFCI outlet located on the Xantrex inverter/charger. It trips occasionally for unknown reason(s) and the first place I go when power is lost. Upon reset an operable microwave indicates AC throughout the unit.
    1 point
  14. Many have secured the Norcold AC plug to duplex outlet under the sink with a tie-wrap and perhaps same could be done with the charger plug, as well. However, that may not be as easy due to the ‘snap in’ feature of that inlet, as described. Perhaps the “10-12” unsupported run of power cord” could be secured with a tie-wrap in such a manner as to better secure that connection. In looking at my 2020 OLEll, it appears to be hardwired into the AC panel box with a typical clamp style strain relief fastener and likely hardwired to a main breaker.
    1 point
  15. My experience....with our 2022 LE2 Norcold I left my setting on auto while boondocking and my LP ran out. The result was an automatic switch to DC while we were away for 2 days. On a good note, with help from Steve L. and JD I got to throw away my 4 6v agms and switch to 600 ahs worth of Epoch Lithuims. Albeit an expensive lesson I couldn't be happier that it happened :)
    1 point
  16. Please tell me you're kidding.
    1 point
  17. Not replace, but repair the connection so it cannot come off again. Is it for the inverter/charger? So a 110V plug like the fridge? If so, it’s not the plug but a cheap outlet receptacle. That could be replaced with a Leviton or a quality outlet not Made in you know where! Cheesy, yes! OTT wired the outputs on our inverter using a residential junction box and wire nuts! 🤣 Hardwire? I’d do that in a heartbeat! 😎
    1 point
  18. It's possible a dealer swapped the tires out. I've heard of dealers doing that sort of thing. Example: The sale of some other brand trailer they have on the lot is held up because the customer doesn't want the Castle Rock tires. There's the unsold Oliver over there with brand new Goodyears in the same size. Problem solved!
    1 point
  19. I'd say, this is not such a good idea. Go back to your post from last year and review Geoff's suggestion @Snackchaser. Time to fix the issue vs. adding a checklist item. Not sure re the Norcold fridge controls, but on our Dometic when in LP mode it will stay there by design. When you select "Auto" it will switch to AC if available, or DC when not plugged in.
    1 point
  20. I guess we could do that - we have a set of ten of those levelers and I use my LevelMate Pro + to maneuver into site where I rarely need more than two of them. Just sounds like a bit of a pain. Then again, I’ve been known to chock the wheels and unhitch to raise the nose of the trailer at some dump stations.
    1 point
  21. That beats stepping on them in bare feet in the middle of the night! 😂
    1 point
  22. @Geronimo Johnsee if you can find any answers in this service manual https://fourwheelcampers.com/NewDometicRefrigeratorManual.pdf I had trouble getting my RM2454 to cool in Ashland VA last week after working fine for 3 weeks. It was just too hot there at 97F for the absorption cycle to work well. I temporarily added a double bladed window fan from Lowes. Still wouldn’t work even at night. Turns out that too much air movement is as bad as not enough. I turned the temporary fan off and the refrigerator started working again. Bill
    1 point
  23. I have a manual for model 709 and 709-PH. The battery level displayed is determined by the voltage supplying the SeeLevel panel. As others have said see if it’s getting power. You said the tech plugged a new panel in and it was dead also. I can’t believe that the tech didn’t also check the fuses as that would have taken a few minutes. I would check the voltage going into the panel and work back from there This schematic is for 2018 LEII hull 313 so it might not be the same for your hull Bill
    1 point
  24. Sounds like altitude to me. Gas appliances often need a different orifice to work at higher altitudes. You might be able to get a high altitude one at a local RV repair shop.
    1 point
  25. I believe you hit on it here! New issue often comes from last service. I can't believe you were there and OTT Service would not fix an issue they likely created in your scheduled service one business day before! They tried a "new monitor panel." Did they first check the fuse? You have a hull a little older than ours but maybe this circuit is wired the same. Our DC panel has a fuse titled "Water Heater Tank Monitor" (see pic DC fuse #7). Perhaps we're getting closer now! 😎 This 15A fuse might be blown. If so, your HWH would not have 12V to fire up on LP. If you have hot water, I'll bet they pick up 12V from the HWH wiring and if so, there would be an inline fuse between there and the SeeLevel system. It's really bad electrical practice to wire inline fuses at random locations in the basement! RV manufacturers do this often and when I find fuses around the Oliver basement, I move them to a new +bus I wired under the rear dinette seat, so I know where they are, have easy access and never have to reach down under again! Look around for an inline fuse, starting at the HWH then going towards the tank readers or the SeeLevel panel. Hope you find it quickly!
    1 point
  26. We do pretty much the same as you JD - except we always dump before departure - unless the campground has no dump station or sewer connections. I’ve found as you have that without a good degree of rearward tilt on the Ollie, that tanks drain slowly if at all. I generally can get away with just using the front jack and a jack block to lift the nose a bit. I can usually spot a bit if an incline at the dump station and take advantage of it. Often having to pull in “the wrong way” to capitalize on the grade of the dump station. I haven’t found a huge need to elevate the curb side to get the grey tank to empty. Unless the dump station pavement is really terribly pitched.
    1 point
  27. This. We had this problem with multiple control panel switches. Solved it by blowing canned air into the switch while exercising it and placing a shop vac hose directly over the switch after exercising it. Also vacuumed out the back side of the control panel. Had to do this a couple of times during the first year of ownership. Been fine ever since.
    1 point
  28. I don’t know if this is a revelation or if somebody else has figured this out - or if I’m completely wrong - but - Unless the drain holes - inner and outer - are blocked so badly that the window tracks overflow entirely - there’s no reason why water would leak inside the trailer. From what I could see there was only a tiny bit of water in the bottom of the tracks that was visible through the holes in the plastic track guide. However - there’s IS a stop/bumper at the forward travel of the lower window track. It’s a rubber “foot” like you might see on the bottom of an appliance to keep it from scratching a countertop. On my leaky window - this screw was quite loose. I noticed when I removed it to try to clean out the track. The stop (hole in the frame) does happen to be right above where the water is leaking into the trailer. The leak is between the window frame and the inner wall of the trailer. As I say - I might be smoking something, but I’m thinking this is the only(?) place where there is a hole low enough in the track to leak water inside the trailer unless the track is filled with water. I plan to dry out the track, make sure that hole is clean, then reinstall the number and screw with some sealant in the threads. Update to follow. added: Looking at the frame and inner plastic track/guide - I can’t tell if the hole for the screw actually goes through the frame. I figured that for the stop/bumper to have any strength, it would have to. And the screw looks long enough. There’s also a coloration difference at the tip of the screw that indicates it was into the aluminum frame. Either way, drilling a hole through the bottom of the frame is a pretty dumb way to add a window stop.
    1 point
  29. Also across northern Texas, Oklahoma and environs this morning. I'm hitched, but stalling my departure until it passes. On my first night in my Oliver, I was planning to camp in a very nice park in Tennessee -- but on advice of Rodney Lomax, I stayed the night at the Oliver factory campground where there were a lot fewer trees to come down, and hitched the Oliver to my truck to help stabilize it. It was a real blow and a good lesson.
    1 point
  30. Been camping this week at Mt. Pisgah Campground NC @ 5,000' on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Some mornings were in the 50s and highs 60s to 70s. Their campsites do not have water or electricity, with the Federal Senior card $15 per night. They have hot showers. When it's hot and humid in the lower elevations, we head to Mt. Pisgah campground to cool off without using AC system. There are plenty of places to hike and a drive on the BRP is always nice, too.
    1 point
  31. I have D52s rated 3500, the guy at Alcan claimed these were somewhat different than D52s rated 5200 - the brakes when I questioned him. Not sure I believe it.
    1 point
  32. We don’t setup a waste line at campsites. We're never in one place for more than 5 nights and I don't deal with those fancy waste ladders which I associate with Class A RVers, who stay long with full hookups! 🤣 Instead we dump on arrival (often coming from boondocking) and on departure. When dumping, you must have the Oliver up in the front AND on the curbside. I use the LevelMate at the dump station to bring the front up a good +2" over level. Some may not know, the gray tank is on the curbside, with its outlet drain facing the streetside. If your Oliver is any lower on the curbside, your gray tank can be quite full after you thought you dumped tanks! I use an 8" Anderson block to lift the curbside jack so that it is at least +1" above level. Tanks are then fully emptied. This picture was taken at a dump station in Cedar City UT. I had to back in, so there was no other approach. You can see all what I had to do to lift the front! What's not pictured is the curbside jack is also lifted. Isn't RV life wonderful?! 😎
    1 point
  33. And that's the hard part! Running wire and mounting switches NP! Yes, of course more expensive with much greater functionality! Thank you, I just added this to my Wishlist! If you are going to all the work of replacing the valve, I would certainly go this path. I like the short pull (backup) handle that would be more reliable than a 12 FT cable and simple electric motors are generally reliable. I replaced ALL my manual water valves to electric already. This is a no-brainer for our hull! This valve is rated 4.5 on Amazon with 200 reviews. @rich.dev has the best idea, I think. Put the switches where the current handles are located. I would scrap the supplied wire harness (likely not long enough) and the supplied (awkward) switch and plate and buy 3 marine grade (waterproof) simple toggle switches, up for open and down means closed! They will fit in the holes left by the pull handles once removed. Run stranded 14 AWG wire which should be fine since they use a 5A fuse in the switch. I would also relocate all fuses to my 12VDC positive bus. Handy since I relocated it to under the rear dinette seat. Better to have all fuses centrally located than at the switch or the motor (for all appliances). I would replace all three (3) valves, sooner or later. Really dislike the one by the toilet that keeps the gray from backing up. How many times have we forgot that and have to climb back up in the trailer. All switches together, in the same outside location makes sense to me. We always have that rear hatch open when leaving a campsite anyway. Added a couple pics, food for thought, and thanks again for this idea! 😂
    1 point
  34. Thanks @Steph and Dud B for the response. Regarding condensation, my problem was definitely not condensation. I regularly wipe down the inside of the windows and tracks when I wake up while cold weather camping, so I know what's normal when it comes to that. This was a definite rain intrusion. I wish I could find a schematic of the window to better understand how the pieces fit together and how my quick fix could redirect water elsewhere. I did check the spaces under the streetside hatches and found the in-between spaces dry, at least from what I could see and feel. I didn't remove any of the insulation to check under. Again, very mysterious.
    1 point
  35. Nope, and these tires are on a list of "China Bomb Tires", thinner sidewalls, tread delamination, and blowouts
    0 points
  36. Apparently, Oliver has now switched to the Chinese Tires. This has been confirmed by a reliable source.🙃
    0 points
  37. "Track "IT" down! Yesterday I towed Twist home to prepare it for an upcoming trip. As per usual - I plugged the 30 amp shore power cord into a 15 amp extension cord which (in turn) was plugged into a GFI outlet on the side of the house. All was working as it should until about 4 hours later it was time to plug in a vacuum cleaner in order to start cleaning the floor of the camper - yep, the vacuum didn't work! All other things were still working (or so I thought) but plugging and unplugging and checking the GFI - both inside and outside the camper yielded no joy. OK - time to check fuses - OK time to take apart the circuit breaker panel - OK, time to check the house circuit breaker panel - OK, time to take a break and actually think about what is going on. Finally (I can be a bit slow sometimes but this was really starting to p... me off), it was time to start getting serious. So, starting have already noted that 12 volt things still worked AND with the inverter on the 110 volt interior items worked, I felt that the "problem" was isolated to the 110 volt shore power. But, in my mind I had already checked that and there was no problem with fuses, circuit breakers or connections. BUT - lets actually TEST these things to make sure that they are actually live at each connection point. Sure enough, the extension cord was bad. No sign of melting, burning, corrosion, loose connection, or anything. Also, no one had tripped over it nor disturbed it in any way since I had first had things working. Eventually (probably during some dark cool rainy winter day I'll get that extension cord back out and see what the problem is. But, for now, the problem was fixed by simply getting another cord and getting back to work. Bill
    0 points
  38. As is the south loop of Kalaloch CG in Olympic National Park ...where some bright summer crew member sent to repaint arrows, made a mistake. People have just had to live with the result for multiple years as the same intern also changed the maps to match the mistaken arrows. (Heard all that from a Ranger.)
    0 points
  39. The best I had was a state park in Vermont. On top of being very poorly maintained the one way road was counterclockwise and the angle of the back-in spots were setup for the road to run clockwise. And, it had lots of trees to navigate as you backed in. Thanks to one of Vermont's Green Mountain Boys for an assist.
    0 points
  • Recent Achievements

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information