technomadia

These 12V batteries are not true deep cycle batteries, however. Only 3V and 6V batteries are true deep cycle batteries, according to my understanding. They have much heavier plates than the stock batteries. There are a lot of cheaper 12V batteries that are marketed as "deep cycle" that really aren't. But 12V batteries can be built with thicker lead plates, making them "true" deep cycle batteries. The LifeLine GPL-31 and Trojan T-1275 are both examples of very credible deep cycle 12V batteries. One good way to tell is by weight. All other things being equal, a heavier battery indicates more lead inside, and thus thicker lead plates and a better deep cycle capability. You'll notice that cheaper batteries tend to be significantly lighter. There is a reason for that... - Chris

1) I'd suggest that you go with the golf cart batteries. They are more rugged, are designed to be discharged very deeply without damage, and can withstand many more charging cycles than a standard battery. Going with 'cheap' batteries is a false economy. Note that Trojan literally owns the golf cart battery market for golf courses throughout the country, so in the unlikely event of failure there should be any number of sources available to you. I agree. Basic 6V Trojan T-105's are cheap, found everywhere, and really rugged. There are some "true" deep cycle 12V batteries (like the Trojan 1275's), but they tend to be a bit more rare and expensive. Most cheap 12V batteries aren't built to handle multiple deep discharges. They'll work for a while, but you will need to replace them every year or so. I'd rather not deal with the hassle. We went with AGM batteries because they are more efficient to charge, and can charge quicker. But if cost was more of a concern, I'd go with 6V golf cart batteries. 2) I'd suggest that you go with the generator prep wiring. You never know when you might need it, might want it, or wish you had it when it comes time to sell to the next guy. It's easy to do now, harder to do later. You do not need any special generator prep wiring -- just take your extension cord and plug it into the generator. Simple as can be. The auto-transfer switch is an expensive option that lets you keep plugged into the shore power and generator at the same time. This will only really help you if you don't want to go out in the rain to unplug from shore power during a power outage to switch to the generator. The other advantage of the generator pre-wire is that you can run your generator while underway towing, if that is an important option to you. 3) Whatever battery charger you choose, make sure that it's got sufficient capacity to recharge your chosen batteries in a reasonable time. I wouldn't get hung up on the "4 stage" hype; most chargers in the marine world are just 3 stage (bulk/absorption/float) with a manual capability for equalization if really necessary. Buy the best charger that'll fit in the available space and have the factory install it so that it's covered under your warranty. A better battery charger is particularly important if you are going to use AGM or Gell batteries. If you are going with basic lead acid batteries, this is less critical. For a cost saving option, two 6V batteries and the stock charger should be fine. - Chris

We are getting all LED lights to minimize the battery drain. With the optional, upgraded battery monitor that tracks amp-hours in and out, we will be able to avoid draining our battery bank below 50% of its capacity. It just may work. About the only 12V appliance we may ever use are Geneva's curling irons, and they don't pull that much amps if I recall correctly. Does anyone out there use 12V curling irons? Do they work well? We have never tried them. Anything that produces heat will likely use a LOT of amps. You'll have to look at the specs, but my guess is that 15 minutes of curling iron use may burn more electricity than running your LED lights all day. (Maybe even all week!) That said - some minimal curling iron use is probably fine... - Chris

Another question: How do you think we can best protect our solar panels from any possible hail damage? That may be a tough one to figure out. Maybe with duct tape and two closed cell foam sleeping pads, cut to size? Most of the solar panels on earth are permanently mounted year round, and they are thus designed to withstand all sorts of weather. If you ever encounter hail large enough to damage your solar panels, that damage will likely be the least of your worries. There are "thin film" solar technologies that use a flexible material and no glass that are essentially indestructible, but they only but out half the power per square foot, so I don't recommend them. - Chris

Both Chris and I are water adventurers too. We're both SCUBA certified (although, neither of us has dove in a while) and enjoy kayaking, white water rafting, swimming, tubing, sailing, boating, etc. I look forward to taking our Oliver to places to enjoy all of these things. - Cherie

As far as solar and hail - I know that hail is a big issue in Central TX, sometimes reaching softball size. For us, if there's bad weather predicted, we just scoot out of town. You may want to ask AM Solar what their specific hail rating is. There website states: "In fact, all panels pass Jet Propulsion Labs Block V tests, which are: withstanding 125 m.p.h. wind loading, surviving one inch hail at terminal velocity (52 m.p.h.), and thermal cycling at temperatures beyond what you will find here on Earth (short of tossing them into molten lava !!)." It seems that most panels are quite durable against hail and can withstand quite an impact. And others aren't. Since AM Solar specializes in RV solar panels, I'm hoping they are providing something that is quite resistant to a variety of elements. In other words, hopefully you won't have to worry any more about your solar panels in inclement weather than you would your Oliver or house. - Cherie

In looking at Chris' customization list, it looks like we went with the LifeLine AGM (GPL-4C) - which will give us 220 amp hours. We decided this because they are more efficient at charging/discharging, are more durable for the variable environments we tend to find ourselves in (such as bouncy back roads) and will require less maintenance. So while we'll have less capacity than we did in our Tab (we had 260), we'll be better able to capture and utilize the power coming in on a regular basis and the long term benefits should outweigh the extra cost. Because we're going with AGM's instead of lead acid, a smart charger is really quite a necessity to take advantage of this - and to the best of my understanding, it replaces the standard charger, not supplements it. Chris basically deleted the entire standard electrical system of the Oliver and custom spec'd ours. If you're just going with the standard lead acid batteries, a smart charger is not nearly as important to maintain their health. At least, that's my understanding. I'll poke Chris to come join this thread when he has time (he's dealing with some issues with our Tab so that we can get it sold hopefully before we pick up the Oliver). We should be picking up our Oliver in about a week.. we're very excited. We spent a day last week at the factory hanging out with Robert, Daniel and others working on our trailer. It was a lot of fun, and they're such a great group of people. And what a class act their factory is - a lot of heart and soul goes into these amazing trailers. I don't think we'll be going through Texas before you pick up yours unfortunately - as we'll be coming back to St. Louis after picking up the trailer and high-tailing it to Burning Man (in northern Nevada) by the end of August. No specific plans after that.. we'll see what calls us. But, Central TX is definitely one of our stop-over points as I grew up in Austin and my bro still lives there. So I'm sure we'll be able to rendezvouz, heck, we'll probably come camp out at the drop zone in the future and work on our skydiving training for a couple weeks at some point. - Cherie

Doug - A lot depends on the style of camping you anticipate doing, how often and the time you anticipate being off grid. The decisions that Chris and I make for ourselves will be different as we plan to be entirely off grid as much as possible, living out of our Oliver full-time. That said, having a sufficient charger that can maximize your sun exposure to charge up the batteries is a good idea - keeping in mind there's only a few hours in the day that you'll have opportunity to get full exposure to take advantage of those glorious 200 watts. Perhaps Chris can follow on with a more technical review of your set up. I'm also curious.. are you going with the standard satellite receiver that Oliver installs? We had to drop that option in order to fit the dual solar panels. (Not a big deal for us at all.) - Cherie PS. There's a good chance we'll actually be in your neck of the woods, as my brother is a skydiver instructor out in Lexington We occasionally get out there and jump with him.

The twin bed was not even a consideration for us. We were specifically looking for a floorplan that allowed us to have a full size bed kept in bed most of the time, and an office area for running our business. The most annoying thing about the Tab has been having to convert the bed to dinette mode, and having slightly offset sleep schedules. True.. the twin plan gives you more storage space. But we already have our lives trimmed down to share a 16' Tab with far less space AND, if I couldn't snuggle with Chris every night, there would be no point in us traveling together anyway - Cherie

Chris, since you are using your trailer for long-term living, I wondered if you chose the twin bed option (with more storage) or the standard double bed (with more dining and sleeping capacity)? I couldn't imagine full time living without a bed big enough to cuddle in. Egads!

I am also envious of what you got there! Those panels fit a lot better than I would have imagined. Are those the AM100 panels, and did Oliver fabricate the custom mounting hardware? I couldn't tell from your photos...where exactly does the wiring penetrate the roof? Would it be feasible to remove the panels, say for seasonal storage? Yep, they are two AM100's joined together. Oliver came up with the custom mounting brackets to allow for this. It looks like they have done an excellent job. I'm not sure where the wiring will enter the trailer. As for seasonal storage - why? Solar panels are designed to be outdoors and in use for 30 years straight, in all weather conditions. I'm not sure what season you would ever want to store them... - Chris

Late on Friday I got an email from Robert at the Oliver factory: "I had to get these to you for the weekend, too “sweet”. Sweet indeed - we have solar panels!!! Look at all the photos here: http://radven.livejournal.com/137695.html What an exciting thing to see before the weekend. I can't wait to see it all in person next week! - Chris

Robert gave me a call yesterday to let me know he had seen my Construction Update #3, and he wanted to point out a few areas I had gotten my photo descriptions wrong. I had assumed that the photos showed the top inner shell being attached to the bottom two shells, when in fact the inner top and bottom shells are actually joined together first, and the entire inner egg is lowered into the bottom shell at once. He apologized for causing my confusion over the order that the shells are assembled because he had missed taking a photo of a key construction step while he was out on vacation. He then sent me some more photos to make sure I was able to understand and document the entire construction process. Have I mentioned just how awesome the folks at the Oliver factory are? Here is the newest construction update post, with many more pictures: http://radven.livejournal.com/137451.html I'll attach a few more photos of our Oliver here too. One thing Robert let me know is that with our Oliver they are trying a new ceramic insulation as a replacement for the Lizard Skin they had been using. It shows up in the pictures as a tan area. If it works well, I imagine that it will become the new Oliver standard. Cheers!

In your conversations with Robert did you find out if you have to unroll the entire shore power cord in order to use it, or just the length you need to reach your outlet? I know you are opting out of the power cord reel, and so may I, if it ALL has to be unrolled before using it. The winder works just like with a garden hose - you only need to unwind the length you need. I couldn't imagine a system that required the full length uncoiled - egads! - Chris

I've gotten another batch of photos from Robert. See them and read my journal update here: http://radven.livejournal.com/136235.html I've also created a Flickr set chronicling all the photos I've gotten so far: http://www.flickr.com/photos/radven/set ... 655574383/ The two bottom shells have been attached to the frame, and it looks like they are in the process of attaching the inner top shell. Next Wednesday we will be stopping in to visit the Oliver factory on our way up to St. Louis. It will be exciting to get to look at our trailer in person while it is under construction. I can't wait, and I imagine I will be taking 100's of pictures... *grin* - Chris

My first thought is that this is a bad idea. Dealers will get in the way of the customization experience, they add a lot of middle-man cost, and most of them offer very little ultimate value - particularly when it comes to a unique trailer like an Oliver. Hmmm...

Chris, what monitor are you going with for your Freedom 458? A Link 1000 perhaps? I've actually written some in-depth posts detailing my research into battery monitors. You can find them posted here in the Oliver forums, or the original is in my Oliver thread at my blog: http://radven.livejournal.com/tag/oliver Here is the post on battery monitors: http://radven.livejournal.com/128906.html As you can see, we are getting the Blue Sky IPN-Pro Remote that integrates into our solar charge controller. I looked up the unit and it looks like it would be ideal. They also have a 2000 watt model that is no larger or heavier than the 1500, but that might be overkill for a 2 battery bank. It would run a hair though. Will the unit you're getting fit under the rear seat of the side dinette, or do you have to install it in the space where the shore power auto rewind would have been located? I believe the factory folks decided that the best fit would be where the shore power auto rewind was located. I had planned on deleting this feature anyway, so this worked well for us. - Chris

Hi Scott - I love your little Boler - it must have been hard to part with it after having put so much work into it. I know I am dreading passing on my Tab to her next owner... Keep in touch, and if we are ever anywhere close we should rendezvous. We will always be posting from the road here: http://www.technomadia.com Cheers! - Chris

Thanks Scott.. We're having a blast in our adventures.. and it's always amazing to encounter others who have done or are doing similar things! We're very much looking forward to our Oliver, and will always miss the Tab as well. - Cherie

The $25,750 base classic is the price I was quoted also, not that much interested any longer. One thought -- the majority of the recent price increase in the "Classic" seems to have come from having several formerly optional features now being included standard. I do know from experience that the factory is just as flexible at removing options as they are at adding them. And when they do, you get a credit. You might be able to price out a "stripped down" Oliver that will still include more features than a typical Casita for less than the current list price of a Classic. I suggest you give Robert a call at the factory to talk about it. - Chris

Chris, do you mind telling me which inverter/charger you are getting installed in your Oliver, where you bought it, and what it costs? I settled on the Xantrex Freedom 458 1500W inverter / 75 amp charger. I believe the total price to have it bought / installed by Oliver worked out to be around $700. - Chris

Would the Xantrex 2.0 ProSine Inverter/Charger (which I already have in my existing RV) work in the Oliver? If it would (is there enough room to install it near the battery bank). I could remove it from my 5th wheel and let Oliver install it in our new trailer. I researched the ProSine 2.0 and almost chose it. You can probably fit the ProSine into the space under the rear seat of the small dinette, but if it is tight you can get plenty of space under the far front dinette seat by leaving out the power cord auto-winder. We had the auto-winder removed, and this is where our inverter / charger is being installed. - Chris

Our Tab trailer has mechanically activated surge brakes, so I've never bothered with getting a brake controller installed into our Jeep. But now with our Oliver due in just a few weeks, I need to handle this soon. Do any of you have any recommendations to share? Positive or negative experiences? Tips? Places to get a good deal? Thank you all, - Chris

What are the height and width dimensions for the furnace plate? I am wondering if an Olympian Wave catalytic heater, which comes in three sizes, could be installed in place of the furnace. I was going to have the factory leave the furnace out - hoping to get some extra storage space. But I changed my mind once they told me that it would require a lot of expensive custom work to redesign the cabinets and drawers to take advantage of that space. Currently, leaving the furnace out would just result in a wasted space and a blank white patch of wall. - Chris

The Camping World catalog lists the Coleman Polar Cub at 8,300 btu, not 9,200. It list the amps at 8.0. I suppose one of those facts is false, but which one? Actually, as I understand it - they are both true. Coleman has over time made both an 8,300 and 9,200 btu model. The model that Oliver is using is the 9,200 btu model. Based on my research, it has gotten great reviews. - Chris