ScubaRx

Welcome to the Oliver forums, Lois H.!

Gail, Apparently I don't know my right from my left. My switches are on the left also. Our dogs are: Storm - Male Doberman Pinscher Maggie - Female Miniature Pinscher Lucy - Female Daschund They are all black and tan and love to travel with us. When you get all five of us in the trailer at one time it is a little tight. Here's some pics that are posted on another site: http://www.flickr.com/groups/oliver-tra ... ool/page2/ Steve

Mike and Gail, When you say breakers, are you referring to the 120VAC breakers or the 12VDC switches to the upper left as you enter the trailer? The 120VAC breakers would not prevent a battery drain. Somewhere there is something drawing 12 volts (as you've already figured out.) Try to think of all the items that would use 12 volts: Lights, pump, jacks, fans, stereo, television, inverter and make sure they are not running. Lights are probably the biggest draw (closet light off?) There are several moniters (smoke, propane gas, CO) that will draw some power, but I would hope not enough to actually run the batterys down in a matter of weeks. We keep our Oliver plugged up all the time, so we've not had this problem. Not much help, maybe others will weigh in and be smarter.... Steve

Fourth of July weekend at Tishomingo state park with all the dogs and a relative with his Airstream...

Welcome to the forums, and congrats on the upcoming Oliver delivery. Yours would be the 22 footer I saw under construction at the factory when I was there a few weeks ago. It looked good.... Steve

Steve, That's a great idea. I think I'll just copy it. I've got a roll of aluminum flashing stuck somewhere in the attic that will work just dandy for that. Now here's another problem we have in that same area. The microwave does not have enough air-flow around it and it gets really hot if you use it for any length of time. I want to put a 120V shaded pole (squirrel cage) fan behind it and vent it down and out the upper refrigerator baffle. I just need to find one that will fit. Any thoughts, suggestions??? Steve

I talked to Mountainborn yesterday morning and he told me about the snowfall. He said the temp there was in the 30's with largh beautiful flakes drifting down and covering everything. I told him the temp in Tupelo was about 93 and sunny. Wish I could have been there with them. Be safe Larry and Betty and have fun. Steve and Tali

Cherie, I'm with you about the upper bathroom cabinet in the 22 footer. That, I thought, was one of the nicer additions. I'm a little envious about your cabinet doors. I'm sure it's a hassel when they inadvertantly come out, but I've tried everything short of breaking them to GET them out. This is usually when I'm working on some mod and need complete access to the cabinet. I built a charging station and rack to hold electronics inside the back cabinet that spans the entire width. I had to design it so that it could be disassembled into several pieces outside the trailer then fed in thru the half opened cabinet doors and reassembled inside and mounted permanantly. I felt like Rube Goldburg. Hope your axle/wheel/tire swap when smoothly. We're going up to the factory next week for the same thing. Steve and Tali

Cabinet Doors: The sliding cabinet doors are the one area of the trailer that doesn't feel up to the quality standards of the rest. Ours do occasionally jam or fall off the tracks. The new cabinet design in the 22' Oliver model is a VAST improvement, and it would be great to make these sort of cabinet doors standard on the 17'. I do not like the fold up/down cabinet doors on the 22 footer I saw at the factory. I've not had any issues with the sliding ones that came with ours, in fact, I can't get the doors out of their tracks. Sometimes I wish I could. This would make working in these areas easier. I solved the "opening while moving" problems with some rare earth magnets. Water Pump: There are too many water-related switches! There should be only one pump switch inside, and (maybe) one outside. The switch under the sink isn't really necessary when the master switch is just a few feet away. I like the set-up just the way it is. I like being able to turn the pump on/off at multiple locations, in fact, I wish there was yet another switch in the bathroom. Hot Water Switch Location: The hot water switch should be located adjacent to the water pump switch, not hidden away under the bed. Ours occasionally gets knocked on in the current location, and it can too easily go unnoticed when it does. Ours never gets knocked on accidently since it is behind the fold down table on our twin bed option. I do wish it were in a more accessable place though. SeeLevel with Switches: The otherwise identical SeeLevel 709-PH tank monitor incorporates both a water pump and a hot water switch. Combining these functions into the tank monitor would make for a much cleaner and clearer setup than the current separate switches. Propane Gauge: It would be nice if the Oliver offered propane tanks that can display their status on the SeeLevel display. I have found a 30lb tank that should be compatible. (I just posted in the propane thread with details...) As I understand it (from other posts) there is an addition that will accomplish this. Other that my fetish for the most bells and whistles, I don't see as I need it. Grey Water: There should be a way to leave the grey water drain open while leaving the battery bay closed. This would be nice for when semi-permanently hooked up to a sewer system. I have found that this might be useful, althought I agree with mountainborn, I usually would not want to continously dump my grey water. Battery Chamber Size: We rarely use the outside shower, but we would often appreciate having space for four batteries. Offering an option to forgo the shower for an extended battery compartment would be nice. We use our outside wash station several times a day. I wouldn't trade this for 10 more batterys. Battery Chamber Lock: It would be nice if there was a way to lock the battery chamber, and perhaps even the tongue propane storage area. (This may potentially not be allowed by law??) Good idea, I've seen some owners that actually had factory installed locking cams. Bumper Storage Chamber Height: The back bumper storage area does not have enough clearance to store a typical sewer adaptor, meaning that it can not be stored along with the hose. One inch more clearance would make a huge difference here. OK Excessive Thermostats: Three thermostats on the wall next to the sink is overkill. It looks as if it is possible to wire the furnace and AC to a single thermostat - that would make for a cleaner design. (The third thermostat is for the remote control for the FanTastic Roof Fan.) We only have two and we like them, if they could be combined into one, that would be OK too. Interior / Exterior Master Switches: It would be nice to have separate cut-off switches near the door for interior and exterior lights. Often when leaving the trailer you will want to leave the outside lights on, but shut off all the inside lights. Not a bad idea. I converted all my external light switches to 3-ways so I could turn them on/off from inside the trailer. Dusk-till-Dawn Lighting: I would love to be able to set the outside ground lights to be dusk-till-dawn... (And I have an idea of how to do this using some features in the solar charge controller!) Clear Door Slider: Using clear plastic for the screen door slider lets in a lot more light when using the screen door... We bought a clear plastic slider at Camping World - it is a great simple upgrade that should be standard... Door Window Curtain: There really needs to be a standard way to block the door window for privacy, particularly since all the other windows offer such great privacy with the blackout blinds. We have used some of our extra seat fabric to make a velcro attached curtain... Perhaps this should be standard for all Oliver's? Spring-Loaded Tow Hooks: When we picked up our Oliver, it came with locking D-rings to attach the tow chains. We immediately replaced these with heavy-duty spring-loaded hooks, which making hitching up MUCH easier. These sort of hooks should be standard. A Better Manual: Like every other RV I have ever seen, the Oliver documentation leaves a lot to be desired. I would love there to be a clear and simple owner's manual with maintenance guidelines very clearly stated. Advanced documentation like plumbing diagrams and electrical system schematics should also be available. This would probably be nice, I too am not sure how often I would use it. I usually attack a problem by simply looking at it, figuring out how to fix it, then going after it. My experience with owner's manuals it they are usually written be some goon that doesn't speak English then translated making little sense. That would be a good project for someone to take on. I believe there are other members of the forum that have expressed a similar interest. What I would like to see is a complete wiring and plumbing diagram.

You guys are having way too much fun. But it looks hot there. I'd be longing for cooler temps in the high mountains. Deserts are for lizards and crawly things. The VLA does look pretty interesting though, I'd have made that side trip too. Take care.... Steve and Tali

Hey Sherry and Paul, I think these guys are hilarious. Could be some took them seriously?! Good talking with you on the phone and we missed you guys at Lake Greeson, I'm sure you've read all about it. Soon maybe we can all get together. Steve

That photo reminds of the hours I used to spend in a darkroom manipulationg a negative or multiple negatives to get shots like that. Sometimes, we would go out at night and take time exposures like this one below. Today, with Photoshop, you can do it all with your computer. Very nice...

Tali and I wanted to let everyone know about some surgery that is in my future. About 2 weeks ago, I had a cardiac cath done to rule out some vague symptoms that I was having. We were able to determine that, overall, the arteries around my heart are in good shape. However, during the procedure, we discovered a congenital defect in the aortic valve. A normal aortic valve has 3 cusps that open and close with each beat of the upper chamber of the heart. It seems that mine has only 2 cusps. Over time, the opening thru the valve constricts causing a condition known as aortic stenosis. If this continues unchecked, congestive heart failure, enlarged heart, kidney failure, etc. can/will occur. The surgical solution is to replace the valve with either a mechanical or tissue (pig or cow) valve. There are up and down-sides to either choice. The tissue valves have a lifespan of about 10-12 years and then they need to be replaced but during their lifespan they are relatively maintenance free. The mechanical valves will (for all intents and purposes) last forever. But, you have to take anticoagulant drugs for the rest of your life with all the accompanying trouble that they entail (dietary restrictions, monthly blood tests, etc.) At least I can monitor and dose my own Coumadin, so that will make it a little easier. The surgery is scheduled for April 15. I chose that day because, apparently under the new Obama administration, if you need open-heart surgery and have it on tax day, you are not liable for any taxes due for that year. It has to do with the stimulus plan or something. Actually, we chose that date because it is after the Lake Greeson Gathering and before the impending birth of our next granddaughter. So, here we are. We are looking forward to seeing everybody in Arkansas next week. Steve

And then there's the elusive and seldom seen BLUE shell which was just a test to see how/if painting would be feasible. I have some pics that I took on an early foray to the factory.........

Steve, I'll echo mountainborn there. I just replaced mine a couple of days ago (I had taken it out back last fall to drain the tank.) I found that it would only screw in about half way. I had put teflon tape on the threads. I read/heard somewhere not to put teflon tape all the way to the end of the threads, something about excess inside the tank possibly getting loose and perhaps fouling a pump. Don't know how important that is but I can see where it makes sense. Bottom line on installation...if it doesn't leak, it's OK. Steve

I believe you are on the right track. You are correct in assuming that the Honda may not pull the Oliver well. I have a 2008 Jeep Wrangler (as does Mountainborn) with a similar tow capacity. I find that I am not comfortable with the capabilities of the Jeep. I am having a Tahoe delivered tomorrow and will be "trading" the Jeep. Tali and I have had Yukons in the past and I know what they are like. We feel this vehicle will be the best for us. At your height, you will probably feel the need to stoop in the Oliver 17'. The 22 footer is some 6 inches taller. If you can go thru a standard doorway without feeling like you are going to hit your head, you would probably feel OK in it. It is also wider and (of course) longer. I have seen the only 22 footer that has been built so far and I can attest to how nice it is. Steve

You know, according to Larry the Cable Guy, 99% of all lawyers give the rest of them a bad name..... (with apologies to my son-in law) Steve

Tali and I are most happy for you with your purchase of the . We know how much you're going to love it. If you can possibly make it to Lake Greeson, do so. This will probably turn out to be the largest gathering of Oliver owners so far. Hope to meet you soon...

Very nice, very clever... I've thought about using that space for an air tank that I can store compressed air in. I had planned to make it out of some 8 inch schedule 40 PVC that I scarfed off a construction site about 30 years ago. (Packrat) You're right there is no sense in wasting space. Steve

Tali and I bought a First-Up from Wal-Mart last summer. We got the screen sides (extra) to go with it. We also bought a set of rope lights to go around the inside top. We only paid $82.00 for it. They seem to have gone up since them. Best price I've seen since is $93.00. It has worked out well for us.... http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product. ... gMethod=rr

Over on the Casita Club forum a member named ronsmith100 posted some pics on 01-26 at: http://www.pbase.com/troron/oliver He took these at Quartzsite, maybe these will give you a better idea of what the 22 footer looks like.... Steve

Here's a little item I found. I really don't worry too much about someone actually hitching up the and taking her off, but if they did, having one of these on board would make finding and retreiving it a little easier.... http://www.opengpstracker.org/index.html

The 22 foot Oliver is officially in production. The first example has been completed and is at Quartzsite in AZ even as we speak... I posted a bunch of pics in the 22 foot Oliver photos thread of the first one during its final production stage.

More pics... and that's all I've got to say about that....

More pics....