ScubaRx

We have a generator hook up on the front of the camper mounted in the right side front of the propane housing. It is wired through a transfer switch which is part of the cost. This will accomplish two goals. It will prevent two different sources of power coming into the trailer and it will prevent back flow of electricity into the power grid if you're plugged up also. Why would that ever happen, you ask. It probably would not, but let's say you were in a campground on a hot, muggy night running the air conditioner. The power goes off and you're told it may be off for a while. You go out and start the generator (forgetting to unplug the trailer) crank the A/C up and go back to bed. The power company is out busy trying to get power back on. Without the transfer switch, your generator will be happily putting 120 volts AV back into the grid with the potential of electrocuting some poor lineman working on the lines. The way we have ours set up is such that I can leave the generator plugged into the trailer. I made up a 36 inch cord that runs between the two. In some cases we have actually run the generator while going down the road. You can have the trailer cool if you want to stop for lunch or the night. These are a few of the benefits of having it. Other than being an extra expense, I can't think of any disadvantages.

Som Over 80% of the Elite II's sold are the twin bed models. I would expect that there is a great amount of usage of the side dinette.

Man, I was tickled to death to replace Pine (web browser) with Netscape. It was right up there with going from Windows 2.xx to Windows 3.1.

Trojan T-105's are golf cart batteries, they are 6 volts with 225 AH. Four of them wired to give you 12 volts will equal 450 AH with 225 AH available for use and not go below 50% usage. They are the same size as the Trojan AGM's. They are also 6 volts with 200 AH. Four of them wired to give you 12 volts will equal 400 AH with 200 AH available for use and not go below 50% usage. I don't believe Oliver currently offering the T-105's as an option. The battery tray will handle either four of these batteries. There are LiFePo4 batteries that are the same dimensions but are rated at 100 AH each and will give you access to 90% of their 400 AH capacity, along with longer life and shorter charge times. They do cost a "little" more, however.

What Mike said. And, thanks Mike, for composing exactly what I was thinking. The only caveat that I would add is: In creating ducted A/C system (as cool as it is [pun]) would be difficult, if not downright impossible, with the current upper body shell configuration. It would have to be completely redesigned to accommodate the ducting.

Well, gentle readers (with special attention to Mossey), I must confess that I erred in my previous statement. With a little more digging and some "gentle persuasion" from my good friend 'Hardrock', it has come to my attention that the Wendy's and McDonald's is not, in fact, located within the confines of the Grand Canyon -South Rim NP. Rather they are located at Tusayan, AZ, about two miles from the South Entrance. I hope we can all breathe a little easier with this knowledge. Sorry for the confusion. Seriously, I have contacted my representative in regards to this issue.

In looking at LifeBlue's website, it appears that their 200AH, and 300AH batteries both have the same specs: Discharge Current: 150A continuous, 200A for 30 Minutes, 300A for 3 seconds What gives? Also I'm curious about which Charge Controller is supplied in the package. Is a MPPT or is it still a ZAMP PWM? They don't mention a shunt so it may only be a Zamp model. Since Lithium batteries needs to be charged at a constant 14.6 volts and I'm wary of the Zamp ZS-30A / ZS-40A controllers as their Absorption charging voltage is preset to 14.4 +/-0.2 VDC for LiFePO4 batteries. If I'm reading something incorrect in all this, please enlighten me.

Too late there's a Wendy's and a McDonald's.

The South end of your Galway Girl looks palindromically similar to the same view of our Outlaw Oliver... And this photo may answer the question you're asking about right now.

I would replace the outlets with standard screw type just like you would have in your home. I can see (from your picture) how (in theory) these outlets would make installation easier on a production line. I can also see how these can fail. These are similar to the T Tap Insulation Displacement Connectors used in 12 volt circuits. They are hard to install and get a positive, long lasting connection. I won't use them for low voltage wiring and I don't think I'd want these outlets in my high voltage circuits. Thanks for pointing this out.

Susan, many of us have chosen our own designs for the front graphic. Ours is the same as our avatar. I had it made locally and applied it myself.

Mac, I was in the middle of writing a response earlier today to the news about your new truck but, in my zeal to show the picture to Tali, I lost the post. I want to say how nice it looks and I know you guys will be very happy with it. I truly believe all your towing frustrations will now be a thing of the past. No more worries about 12,000 foot passes, up or down. Use your exhaust brake and manual down shifting on downhill runs. Don't be surprised if you rarely use your brakes. You're also going to find your maximum torque (910 lb-ft @ 1,600 rpm) will be right where you need it - at cruising speed. Now, you're all set when that OEIII rolls off the line. We fold the back seat 2/3's up for Reacher (our 105 pound Doberman.) He likes to sit in the single passenger seat and look out over Tali's shoulder. We had a cover made for that seat so he won't harm the upholstery.

We own both a Silverado High Country 2500 HD diesel and a GMC Canyon SLT diesel. We love both. The Canyon is generally our daily driver (one tank of fuel since February.) We get about 35 MPG on the highway regardless of speed. The Silverado is our tow vehicle. We get about 14 MPG towing our 7500 pound LEII and over 20 MPG on the highway. Would the Canyon tow the Oliver? Not very well, the trailer's too heavy. Would it tow an Oliver Elite? Absolutely. It would make one of the best tow vehicles out there. I rate our Silverado as A+++.

There will be more to the Lithium package than just adding batteries......

I have given this information to hundreds of Oliver owners over the past 12 years. Don't ever run your jacks all the way down to the ground. Always place a block or pad on the ground and let the jack foot sit on that. We use a 6" piece of treated 4x6 stood on end under each rear jack. This accomplishes two things: # 1 - Depending on the height of the your block/pad, it takes much less time to lower and raise the jack. #2 - When you drive off after forgetting to raise one (or both) the rear jacks it will simply slide off the block/pad without bending the lower leg. Repair will cost you about $500 each and, unless you're pretty handy, a trip to Hohenwald. I made it 10 years before lowering one jack in the rain one night (I have remote jack switches inside) because I was too lazy to go outside and get wet putting the block under it. It was absolutely the one and only time I had failed to heed my own advice and it bit me in the ass the next day when I started to drive off. It is a matter of when, not if. Luckily I was at home when this happened. If I had been on the road when this occurred, I would have been stuck. The leg can not retract when it is bent back at a 45 degree angle and I wouldn't have had a reciprocating saw to cut the bottom off to be able to move on.

Every one must make their own decision about this. Personally, I'd rather know immediately that there is something going on with one of my tires than wait till someone flags me down to let me know that I now only have three tires left.

I would think the decision between the Suburban and Truma water heaters would boil down to the type camping you do (or plan to do) most. The full benefits of the Truma would only be available if you are using full hookups in a RV park. You can't very well have quick/unlimited hot water without having unlimited cold water in the first place and a drain down which to put said water after you're done using it. We spend 95% of our time boondocking so I can't see spending the extra money with our style of camping. OTOH if you are primarily camping with hookups, you could probably forgo the solar/battery package and with the money you save, justify spending it on a Truma.

I've read this entire thread. Based on your posts, if I were you, I'd sell that trailer and get me something I could be happy with.

Wonder if they might be called M-O-T-E-R-H-O-M-E-S ?

That link took me to an E-Bay ad for a 1979 Volkswagen Bus/Vanagon CAMPER

This last month has been a really long year. Gosh, sometimes I find myself longing for those halcyon days when we just fretted about tire pressures, which vehicle was best for towing and whether propane is safe.

Bryan, we live up the road a bit, in Tupelo. We've owned two different Oliver's, a 2008 Elite and currently a 2014 Elite II. We've traveled with three dogs in each of these trailers. Two are small (under 15 pounds), one is huge (over 100 pounds). The doberman minds well and stays out of the way while in the trailer. The two little ones are usually on one or the other of the beds. We've never found them to be a problem. I usually take them outside the last thing at night and Tali usually gets them out in the morning. In 12 years of camping I don't recall the weather ever being an issue to the point where they couldn't do their business. Yeah, sometimes they come in dirty with mud on their feet. They're dogs. One of the little ones is fast, if you're not quick, he'll be inside and on your bed before you can catch him to clean him up. We wipe them off as best we can and clean up the floor later.

It can be repaired without any major renovations. You won't have to remove the shower pan. You'll need a special spanner wrench to reach into the drain and hold the chrome piece stationary while unscrewing the fitting from the dinette access panel outside the bathroom wall. You will need to either grow and extra 8 foot arm or get someone to help with this. This job is so much easier on the Elite II's than the old Elites due to the fact that the shower pan is now raised above the coach floor. It's still not easy, but it can be done. Good luck!

I'm not sure your're understanding "flattening the curve". This is about utilization of hospital beds and staff. If 500 people get sick in 3 days and all go to a single hospital, it would overwhelm the staff. If the same same scenario were to occur over a 60 day period it would not have the same effect on the hospital beds or staff. I understand your concern for those dying from cancer and car wrecks. But, most of the 1600 people you mention are already in a health care situation so whatever curve is involved has already be absorbed into the daily flow. The "900 deaths a day in vehicle fatalities" are dead at the scene and don't impact hospital bed usage and there is no curve to deal with. If you really want to be concerned about something that could easily be fixed, consider the seasonal flu. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the flu kills 290,000 to 650,000 people per year. Where's our outrage about that? The CDC recommends getting a flu vaccine and taking everyday preventive steps to help stop the spread of germs such as staying home (sound familiar) when you're sick. In my health care career, one of my job responsibilities during flu season was to ask patients if they'd had their flu shot. Most said they had had or wanted one. But a good number of people would refuse using any number of excuses. I never heard a reasonable one. Anytime there is a new emerging infectious disease that is shrouded in mystery with a lot of unknowns, it captivates people in a way that a regular virus that people deal with on a yearly basis won’t.

I would suggest running a permanent, dedicated line down to the trailer. If you use 150 feet of #6 wire, drawing 12.5amps at the trailer you will have a: Voltage drop: 1.48 Voltage drop percentage: 1.23% Voltage at the end: 118.52 Get one of these to place at the trailer. Make sure the source of electricity at your house is at least a 30amp breaker and you'll be all set. We did this 12 years ago and we can run anything we hook to it, heaters and the air conditioner.