ScubaRx

Part 1: https://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2015/06/boondocking-part-oneof-six-part-series.html?m=1 Part 2: https://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2015/06/in-its-strictest-form-without.html?m=1 Part 3: https://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2015/07/boondocking-part-three-of-six-part.html?m=1 Part 4: https://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2015/07/boondocking-part-four-of-six-part.html?m=1 Part 5: https://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2015/08/boondocking-part-five-of-six-part_99.html?m=1 Part 6: https://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2015/08/boondocking-part-sixof-six-part.html?m=1

Hey Jennifer. Glad to see you’re still camping and good to hear from you. I bet your granddaughters are growing right up and I know you’re enjoying having them go with you. We are on our way to Alaska. Been on the road since the rally and only made it to Grande Prairie, AB so far. At this rate we won’t be there till Christmas!

This is the slide I bought 6 years ago. It has gone thru several iterations of build in the two different pickups I’ve mounted it in. It has two different levels (as I built it.) You do have to drill to mount it. Both in the slide and the bed. If you are handy and doing it yourself this probably won’t bother you too badly.

FYI: Not that this requires any special skills or tools but, if you never installed one of these just know it’s a one trick pony. Once installed, they won’t come back out without breaking.

I believe we’ve about ridden this horse until he dead. The way I’m understanding it, (and I wholeheartedly agree) anyone who owns a 3/4 ton or larger pickup does not NEED the Andersen Hitch. However, if an individual has one of these large pickups and feels better using the Andersen anyway, then it’s perfectly fine. If your pickup is a 1500, it’s also a matter of choice. Lots of experienced owner’s coming from SOB’s that have used anti-sway or weight distribution apparatus in the past will feel more comfortable continuing their former practice. On the other hand, many of us have never used anything - with equal success. The Oliver is a very stable trailer. Do what your heart and billfold dictates.

Something doesn’t add up here. Every part is made from the same mold and should all be the same. The table recess molded into the inner bottom hull would need to have spread over 3/8” for this to have happened.

Relax Mark. As Overland said everything works seamlessly together. The transfer switch he mentioned keeps two 120VAC sources from entering the trailer at the same time or keeps power from a generator attached to your trailer from trying to exit if you’re plugged in. Example: let’s say you’re parked somewhere and hooked up to shore power. It’s a hot night and you really are enjoying the cool air from the fine air conditioner mounted on your new Oliver. Suddenly the power goes off. You go outside, set up the generator and turn it on. Soon you’re relaxing in the coolness again. Without the transfer switch silently doing its job your generator would be backfeeding 120 volts into the grid. A lineman working to fix the fault could be electrocuted and possibly killed because of this. In addition, your batteries are being charged while going down the road by both the solar panels and the truck. The truck’s alternator has a voltage regulator to prevent overcharging any battery connected to it. The solar system has its own charge controller to prevent overcharging from the panels. All this will quickly become second nature when you’ve gotten your trailer and started to use it. Have fun.

I am curious to know of any forum member that owns one of the 47 original Elites. I don’t feel enough attention is given to that group of early owners. If you’re a member of that group you may feel left out as virtually all the posts seen today on the forum relate exclusively to the current Elites and the Elite II’s. If anyone here has one of these units please respond. Please post your hull #, whether you’re the original owner or a subsequent owner and any information or questions you have about your particular unit. There are several active members here that still own their original units or, like myself, have sold their first Elite and moved into an Elite II. We’re all knowledgeable about the early units that can and do have unique idiosyncrasies due to their having been constructed differently from the current builds. Feel free to mine our knowledge base.

Just get the 3/4 ton diesel and fergedaboudit. Anything smaller and you will be constantly thinking about weight and will most likely be close to or over your limits. You don’t need a one ton unless you really plan to carry your machine shop.

Mike, our trailer was the first one built and we were just making it up as we went. It has the standard water heater. I requested a drain in the hot line and it was apparently not something they regularly did on subsequent builds. It was only this past fall that I discovered it would do what Overland has described. I’ve not studied the plumbing diagram enough to know why it drains with this valve open and the pump on. I think it may have something to do with elves or maybe Elvis. The drain is located on the floor of the outer shell right beside the cold water drain. As as far as the tank draining slowly, think about draining 30-something gallons of water through a hole the size of a pencil.

So that milk and cheese was from kangaroos?

Looks like Oliver Lee state park.

So SBF, do you already own a one ton truck or will you need to purchase that too?

I think that if you can dream it and make it work then go for it. Everyone has their own idea of what’s best for themselves. What works for me might seem ridiculous to another, and that’s OK. The Oliver is a wonderfully built trailer and the perfect palate for your whatever you can make out of it. Go for it...

Personally, I’d rather have one piece of equipment that can handle any job at hand. For our Oliver(s) we have successfully used a Yamaha EF3000iSEB for over 11 years. I’d go bigger.

The article was written in 2017. I got the impression from the dealer this upgrade would be applicable for any truck manufactured prior to this software versions release.

It can and has been done. I’ve got video and photos of mine coming off.

You have 225 usable amp hours (50%)

For anyone with the L5P Duramax (2017 or later) yesterday I got a check engine light. My Bosch OBDII scanner showed an error code of P0133A. It turned out the truck needed a software update for the Glow Plug Command Module. It might behove you to have your version checked to avoid the wait at a dealership while you’d really rather be traveling. https://gm-techlink.com/?p=8172

Like Sherry, I “never” buy extended warranties. But I did for our Duramax. The cost of owning a diesel is higher than that of a gas burner and a future major repair would be financially hard. It’s just an insurance policy.

My question here is why? I’ve owned an Oliver for over 11 years and have NEVER found a need to remove this panel.

We were pulling our Elite II Hull #050 (7200 lbs) with a 2014 GMC Sierra 6.2L with the max tow package. Fuel mileage was never better than 12mpg. We travel all over the country and at less than 40K miles, we started to get overheating in the mountains. We traded for a 2017 Silverado Duramax and there is no comparison. On long trips we’ll average nearly 14 mpg. If you are getting an Elite II, there’s no better vehicle to tow with. You will not be disappointed.

The collective nouns for otters are bevy, family, lodge or romp (being descriptive of their often playful nature) I submit that any gathering of Oliver travel trailers be termed a “romp”. This would also be in keeping of the acronym OTTOR: Oliver Travel Trailer Owner’s Romp.

You can tell that wire was originally crimped inside a connector. I would bet it’s in the immediate vicinity of the bare end probably behind something and not readily obvious. Look for another wire one that area (probably red but not guaranteed) with only a connector on it. On a slightly related note, we too are on our way to Alaska. We are currently in Missouri slowly making our way West.

Just to stay on topic, a quick PM should do the trick.