Spike

Well, Mike, I wouldn't have thought of it if you hadn't thought of the magnet-Command-strip solution in the first place. If it works out, and you have a stay over in our neck of the woods, perhaps we can connect. It was viewing your Ollie that cinched our decision to get one.

I used Mike's magnet-and-Command-Strip method, but found that I could put one magnet on the door and the other one inside the compartment under the seat. This has two advantages as far as I can tell: It eliminates adding another protuberance. It weakens the magnetic pull, making it easy to pull the door back and not put any strain on the door. (These magnets are pretty powerful.) I think that someone mentioned having to put something over the magnets to weaken the pull. Putting one magnet inside the compartment accomplishes the same thing.

I too liked this idea, so I went on Amazon to read perhaps the most damning reviews of a product I have read: Two consumers of the product reported that the detectors did not sound an alarm when a real-life fire was in close proximity to the product. Perhaps it would be wise to test the alarms you bought by placing them close to some burning material similar to what can be found in the Oliver before relying upon them in your trailer.

One of the best purchases we have made for traveling with our Oliver are two of these GCI Outdoor Quick-E-Seat Folding Tripod Field Chairs. Liz and I are guitarists, and we originally bought these to be able to carry with us along with our guitars when attending outdoor jams with other musicians, etc. I have found the chair a great help when working on various tasks associated with our Oliver II: hooking up tow cables and wires, working on the tires, accessing stuff in the basement, hooking and unhooking the water lines, placing chocks, etc. I don't need to kneel or stoop. We carry a foam knee pad in the basement but have yet to need it. The travel chairs are just about the right height for all of those tasks otherwise requiring one to kneel. They fold up and unfold easily. They also have a shoulder strap, so one can easily transport them. We have found them useful for things like events where we have had to stand in line; we can sit when we want. As musicians, we love them, for we can walk into the woods, find a nice place to practice, and have some relatively comfortable seating. They would, it seems, be great for fisherpeople to take to the lake, stream, or beach.

Yes, have it and like it. This cover fits well over it well and, in my opinion, is just the right color scheme for an Ollie.

Yes. It's what we use. Quite convenient for storing chocks, etc. and will rest on the Ollie's bumper while you dig into the rest of the basement for hoses, power cords, etc.

We were all rookies at some time--I was less than two years ago. I was reluctant at first to ask basic questions here but found that folks were patient and willing to offer great advice, which I still ask for . . . As for leveling, we've found that Andersens work the best. (I will, however, never buy from this company again. The owner vandalized a natural arch in Utah and offered, in my opinion, an insincere public-relations apology. There are, it seems, good Andersen-type levelers out there.) Rolling up on these levelers is sure easier than working to build those pyramid-shaped forms with the "lego" pieces, as we did before getting the Andersens. We use the "lego" type blocks under the three jacks. As reported by others above, they reduce how much you need to extend the jacks, keep the ends from sinking into soft ground, and provide peace of mind that you won't be damaging the jacks should you forget to retract them before pulling your trailer. We use Tri-Lynx levelers and caps to build these blocks. After reading Mike's post and viewing his photo, I just put this into my Amazon shopping cart: Camco Yellow RV Wheel Stop-Stabilizes -Large (44622). These, in addition to our Camco Wheel Chocks, will provide extra stability and peace of mind that we won't be rolling off off the Tri-Lynx blocks or Andersens. Note: While I admire those who have built their own blocks to put under the stabilizers, I like that the Tri-Lynx are lighter weight than wood. Like Geronimo John, we store our blocks (Tri-Lynx) in a milk crate along with the chocks. The Andersens are pretty heavy but fit well in the "curve" of the basement compartment. Happy leveling and stabilizing.

If you can, please let us know how you end up installing it (with photos if possible). I just put the BMV-712 in my Amazon cart, but may go with Inverter Supply, as suggested by Overland, if you report good results with the product and installation. Thanks. --Jeff

Mark, I followed your link to Amazon's IBMV-700 with the bluetooth and put the unit in my shopping cart, but then I read this review from Brett Stone. Here is an excerpt that gets to what he considers is a major issue with the product: "1.0 out of 5 stars***PRODUCT BUGS EXPLAINED. VERY IMPORTANT TO READ THIS REVIEW*** September 17, 2018 "First and foremost, I love this device and I love the Bluetooth iPhone App; however there is a HUGE bug in this device which must be known by everyone who is considering purchasing it. Essentially, the purpose of this device is to monitor battery capacity so you are never left on the water with a dead battery and it does a spectacular job measuring load coming off your battery; however it does not measure the power which the gauge consumes on its own and it will consume every last amp left in your battery until it is completely dead and unusable. Unfortunately when it does this, the capacity will still show 99.9% or 100% of your battery remaining but in reality your battery is dead as a doornail and cannot be used." I'm wondering if you read this review and disregarded it for some reason. Perhaps the issue would not be critical if one has solar and is thus not letting the batteries sit without a charge long enough to allow the gauge and dongle to drain them? --Jeff

Thanks, Steve. That clears up much of the Zamp mystery for me.

We have exactly the same setup in our 2017 Elite II as Mark (mlb3820) and the same kinds of questions. The Zamp solar charge controller has remained a bit of a mystery to me for a while, even though I have reviewed the online manual a few times. I am confused now why folks are recommending a battery monitor in addition to the Zamp solar charge controller, which the company claims on its website will "Monitor, regulate and protect your batteries, panels, and electric system." Our Ollie is parked on our property with no shore power, just the solar. I have been leaving the interior and exterior courtesy lights on all night as a security measure (and sometimes all day when I neglect to turn them off). Now that it is cooler, I have set the thermostat at 45 degrees (which draws some current to move the air around the cabin) and have turned on the water heater (not the Truma type), figuring that those two measures will suffice to keep things from freezing during our mile SE Arizona winters. The Nature's Head fan runs continuously. So far, the batteries seem to be doing well, but these are my questions that I hope someone can answer: 1. Why the need for a battery monitor in addition to the Zamp solar charge controller? (And, if I need one, what might be the best choice for us, who would like to be able to boondock--without using the AC or microwave--for a week or so at times.) 2. I think that I understand the different readouts when pushing the button on the Zamp--except the one about amp hours ("aH" on the display). Does this number, which seems to vary in my Ollie between the middle teens and low twenties, indicate how much run time I have left at the current load--or something else? 3. How many years might I expect my AGM batteries to last if I don't allow them to fall below 12.3 volts? I appreciate Steve's advice: "Try not to go below 12.3 volts when your batteries are at rest, that’s the 50% level with agm batteries." Any other advice for a battery novice like me would be appreciated.

Yes. I followed this same video and used the "Oliver Winterization plumbing." It seemed to work well.

I've met Reacher and am indeed glad he did not reach me. Of course, we have our own canine security.

I appreciate the detour taken on this thread via the fascinating article on the myth of drug expiration dates. It seems to have lead to the heart of a widespread and major problem in this country. I will probably post the article on my Facebook page. I am eager to read ScubaRx's response for sure. I am no retired pharmacist, but did anyone notice what seems to be a repeated typo in the article? The repetition starts with this: "Berkowitz picks up a box of sodium bicarbonate, which is crucial for heart surgery and to treat certain overdoses. It’s being rationed because there’s so little available." I just checked on Amazon, and you can get 27 lbs of sodium bicarbonate for under $13. Is it that the sodium bicarbonate mentioned a number of times in the article is somehow superior to the baking soda distributed by Arm & Hammer?

Perhaps, since I found it on mine--Hull 222 (2017)--Oliver started installing them sometime between the construction of Hulls 208 and 222?

Indeed we do. I guess the direction "aft" threw me off. Just found the inverter under the driver's side twin bed--which I would consider aft of the battery box and pantry. I inspected the area to which John Davies alerted us with my iPhone on flash, which revealed, it seems, that all is well with the chassis ground cable: The ground connection was found, as BackofBeyond suggested it would be, on the forward facing end. Thanks, everyone, for help with this.

Unless our Oliver is very much unlike yours, "aft of the battery box and pantry" would not place the inverter "under the driver's side rear dinette" but under the bed. What am I missing here?

Sorry to be obtuse, but I want to check for this wire and am unsure of the location of our inverter. Before I move the bed and bedding, I 'd like to know if I can find it under the driver's side bed or rear dinette seat. Thanks.

Wow! Ask on the Oliver Forums and thou shalt receive. Thanks, everyone, for the great information. We are excited to take this next trip.

Thanks for the warning. I too have pinched my fingers, but not as badly as you described your mishap. Ouch! I try to remember to wear thick gloves when hitching and unhitching.

We plan on a two-week-or-so jaunt through Southern Utah in a couple of weeks. I have been through the area a few times before becoming an Oliver owner but would love to learn of some good camping spots from folks who have discovered them on their trips. We live in Arizona and plan to start in the southwestern corner, perhaps exiting Utah in the Moab-Bluff area. We will probably travel Highway 12--which I consider, with the exception of Highway 1 in CA, to be the most scenic of all US highways. We would like to visit as many national parks as possible but don't have a lot of confidence in nabbing campsites within the parks without reservations, so camping recommendations near the parks or just along the vague route I have described would be appreciated. I know someone on this forum has mentioned Kodachrome Basin, which I have not yet visited but plan to this time and would like to learn of camping suggestions in that area. Our traveling pattern has been to alternate boon-dock camping and hook-up camping. (We have solar and composting toilet.) Thus recommendations for RV campsites, along with more remote dry-camping locations, would be appreciated. It would also be great to get any helpful comments about what to see and do in different areas. And just in case: We are songwriter/musicians (Western Folk Blues) and love to hook up with other musicians and/or perform in impromptu situations in bars, cafes, etc. Any tips of places or folks to check out for opportunities to share our music would also be appreciated.

From what I see on my post above, I seem to have succeeded. However, instead of copying the URL, I just copied the map itself. Does it appear the way it should regardless of the method? (That blank spot above Arizona will be filled in this month.) Thanks, Jason.

Testing.

How about wrapping the entire Ollie in solar cells and adding electric drives: like this one: <p style="text-align: center;">https://www.engadget.com/2018/08/27/dethleffs-camping-trailer-ev-tech-reduce-towing-strain/</p>

Thanks, Mike and Carol, for the clear description and photos of installing the ZARCOR with tinted glass, white shades and a white handle. That is exactly the set-up that we are considering. I notice a small opening at the top of the shades. Do the shades not completely cover the window, and one needs to settle with having a little light coming through the top, bottom, or both top and bottom of the window?