Frank C

Sorry to hear about the problem. Are the existing (dead) batteries you are replacing AGMs? Or wet cell lead acid? I have a 4x12volt wet cell lead acid battery setup in my Ollie (offered as an option at the time) and they have been great, but I’m considering going to 4x12volt AGMs, like the Optima brand batteries, when the lead acid ones eventually need replaced. Optima makes 12 volt AGMs in the standard automobile car battery size package but listed by Optima as RV batteries, so they would fit the same as the 4 lead acid batteries I have now. Maybe lithiums but I’m having a hard time justifying that expense. And if you’re storing outside but in a fairly safe, secure area, if you don’t already have the factory solar (assuming you don’t since your batteries died) then you can use a portable solar panel to maintain battery charge. I have a ZAMP 140 watt portable panel with integrated charge controller that I hook up with a 7 pin adapter to the Ollie 7 pin pigtail. Works great for charging and maintaining the batteries. If you’re storing indoors with no shore power AC connection, then I know there are a few owners that have a cutoff switch added right at the batteries to eliminate the parasitic current draw from the Ollie accessories. But 10 weeks is still a pretty long time, especially in cold weather, for a battery to sit.

I use a portable solar is an option for battery charging and running the DC accessories like the lights, fans, water pump, radio. I don’t have the voltage inverter option though so I can’t use it to provide AC power for the microwave or air conditioner. I use a ZAMP 140 watt portable panel with integrated charge controller. I connect through the 7 pin trailer wiring pigtail connector. Works well.

I’ve had the audio drop issue as well now and then with the Jensen system. Always seemed to happen when a TV program would return after a commercial, but not with a DVD. And it seemed to happen most often at campgrounds that had DirectTV as the television feed through the campground cable hookup. And once the audio cut out completely and would not work at all. You mentioned you did the reset, just curious which one. There are two reset functions mentioned in the manual, one by pushing the Enter knob function for Bluetooth resets, and the other reset is the little hidden button. I did have some success fixing the audio issues by doing the little button reset function on the Jensen receiver. There’s a tiny hidden recessed button on the front panel for a reset. Number 21 on the illustration. Check your Jensen manual. Ours is a 2019, Hull #461, but your receiver may be different. And I too am looking at upgrading the receiver at some point.

Yeah, for the moderators, trying to keep these threads on topic must be like herding cats. 😆

I haven’t given any feedback to Calmark yet. I will probably do that this spring once I can get out and take a few detailed pictures to send to them. And I’m sure that’ll push their price up even more for future buyers. I may modify mine at some point. But for now it’s workable, just something that could be improved.

I used all the standard waxes over the years on cars, motorcycles, etc, but I’ve become a big fan of the newer “ceramic” waxes available. I used the Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic Wax spray wax this past fall and it’s great. Sprayed on while the surface is still wet from rinsing after a wash. Then dry with a microfiber towel. Really creates a very slick tough coating.

We cover ours with the Calmark cover. But you’re right, the Ollies are meant to be outside, so covering it isn’t about protection so much as just keeping it looking good. It’s not like you can easily run the Oliver through most standard car wash places, and it’s a lot of external surface area to keep clean so it’s a pain to wash by hand, especially the roof. Since it’s a gloss white finish it shows dirt pretty quickly, and we all just want to keep our Ollies nice and shiny as much as possible.

Yes, we have the Calmark cover. Calmark does have the pattern for the Elite II, with a zipper opening to allow access to the door. Very happy with it. But it’s not cheap, and it’s a huge, heavy cover. It takes two of us to get it up and over the Oliver. Prices have probably gone up a bit since we bought ours but you will be at around $1,000, maybe more, with shipping costs. It’s done well through two winters so far, though I do wish it had zippered or Velcro closure panels for access to the battery compartment and the shore power connection.

Sorry to hear about the damage. With a freeze like that, any rigid plastic or metal connections, fittings & fixtures are at risk. The PEX tubing itself usually can withstand a bit of expansion from the freezing water, but any connections at either end can be damaged. You may want to remove the recessed towel holder on the front of the bathroom vanity to check any of those hoses and faucet connections. As BoB said, it’ll be a process of elimination with all the faucets, fixtures and connections, inside and outside the trailer, especially the outside shower faucet and outside water connections. A pain in the a**, but the nice thing about the Oliver is that a water leak won’t cause any structural damage like the SOB trailers with wooden subfloors and framing. If you do have a leak you will see water dripping out of the little chrome scuppers on the underside of the hull at the front and back.

I did the same as Topgun and made an 7 pin adapter receptacle to plug in a 140 watt Zamp panel with an integrated charge controller, connected to the trailer 7 pin pigtail. Works great. Just be careful though to confirm the wiring polarity with whatever panel you get when you make any kind of adapter. Zamp is different than other panels.

There are “twist on” valves that can be added. Might be a really tight fit inside the bumper area though. But why are you getting the dribble? Are you disconnecting the flexible hose from the rigid connector in the bumper? I just leave the flexible hose connected to the Oliver rigid connector all the time. And after emptying the tanks and making sure the Oliver valves are closed, and draining the hose as much as possible, I just cap the other end of the hose and store everything in the bumper. You should have gotten the cap for the hose with the Oliver. If not they are available on Amazon as well. There’s a pretty long section of pipe between the actual valves (located at the front of the trailer near the bathroom under the front dinette seat) and the drain connection in the rear bumper. So even after you close the valves, there can still be some liquids/solids in that length of pipe that will drain while you are towing. Just leave the hose connected all the time and cap the far end. Valterra Twist-On Waste Valve, Mess-Free Waste Valve for RV's, Campers, Trailers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BGHYJS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_T4DWB4XCG6F9XV4209A6 Camco RV Sewer Hose Storage Cap Set - Lug and Bayonet Caps | Allows You to Seal Both Ends of Your Sewer Hose Before Storing | Odor and Leak Proof Connection - 2 Pack (39752) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZ1FKZ9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_XJ3YQWCEEZ5KJASMG0NA?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

We are so ready to go. All the camping gear is already sorted. It’ll be a few weeks yet till we hit the road though. The trailer was washed and waxed before being put under cover for winter, so all we need to do is to de-winterize and get everything loaded up. First destination will be Hohenwald for the annual 12 month checkup and maintenance on the Ollie and then hitting the road after that. This is pretty much the sad way it’s looked for most of the winter.

We always forget the opposite. We forget to open it when we set up at a campground, then we use the bathroom sink and suddenly realize our feet are standing in a puddle.

Ditto on the steps down, and/or bathroom door not closed/latched mistakes.

Ouch! Sorry to hear about the jack accident. We all have, or will, make a mistake like that at some point. Glad you were able to get it repaired. I have a very lengthy printed checklist of things to do before departing a campsite, but every so often I get over-confident and think “oh, I can skip the printed checklist and do it from memory”. And when I do that I almost always forget at least one critical item.

You are correct with your thinking. The horsepower and torque rating of your GL won’t be your issue. Your earlier post about the tongue weight limit and cargo limit look like they will be your issue. You’ll just have to pack really light for your trips if you only have 600 lbs tongue weight and 1,312 lbs cargo limit (minus the 600 lbs tongue weight). Also, does your GL have an integrated trailer brake controller? Or will you have to add one?

I ordered 18’ and probably used about 17’.

I switched ours from white to black. Here’s the before and after pics and also the info for Pelland for the part number. But Oliver may have changed window suppliers over the years so you’ll have to confirm the right gasket for yours. https://www.pellandent.com/Half-Inch-Glass-Vinyl-Seal

Thanks for the clarification John. I should have read the manual more carefully. Yeah, the sensors scan through the wall of the tank. So they would only be affected by something clinging to the inside of the tank wall. The manual politely calls it "sludge" buildup on the tank wall that will affect the sensor reading.

I always consider the digital readout for the tank levels to be more of a suggestion than an absolute value. The gray and fresh water tanks are very long and flat, so any slight out-of-level with the trailer, front to back or side to side, will change the reading a lot, since the sensor is mounted in one corner of the tank. And the sensors are affected by water hardness, soap residue, toilet paper debris, and in the case of the black tank, other "nasty stuff" that can affect the sensor and cause it to read inaccurately. Follow the above recommendations of raising the tongue of the trailer a bit, empty the black tank first, then the gray. And it helps if you install a clear elbow or connector section on drain hose so you can see when the flow stops. I added these between each section of the drain hose. Camco Sewer Hose Adapter - Attaches to RV Outlet Connection , Extends connection for Easier Hookup- Transparent Adapter Allows You to View When Tank is Cleared - 3.5" (39562) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016V2JMBS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_NNAP7JSFTAYMD3C1KDVR?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

We always welcome newbies with a legitimate interest and questions (we were all newbies at one point). 🙂 This forum helped many of us make our buying decision. And yes, a big thank you to the moderators here for keeping this site pretty focused.

Here you go. I think the wagon version is much better suited to camping. 🙂

The official Ford truck towing guide has an asterisk footnote that says towing capacities are based on "a 150 lb. driver and passenger". Ford is overly optimistic about what most of us weigh. 😄

Yes, several polite translations of that. "Read The Fantastic Manual", or "Read The Full color Manual". 😄

I'd like to see a forum page and/or Facebook page option that limited members to actual current verified Oliver owners for discussion of mods, experiences, problem solving, etc. I still think that both this forum and the Facebook page have many members that are just trolling (Airstream owners? 🙂), or scammers looking for personal info, because a lot of people, despite cautions, still will list their personal phone numbers or e-mail addresses in their posts. I do give a lot of credit to the Oliver owners for their patience in answering the endless repetitive questions from potential owners and newbies. "Is the Oliver better than Airstream?", "Can I tow the Oliver with a 1976 Ford Pinto?", "Should I get the composting toilet?", "How do I winterize?", etc. I belong to a few other FB pages and web forums for various pieces of musical gear/recording studio equipment, and the users are merciless when a newbie asks a question about something covered in the manual or a topic that's been discussed endlessly. RTFM is a very common response. 🙂