Rivernerd

In the trailer you may have parasitic power draws. I would pull them from the trailer ASAP, put them in your garage, connect them to a "regular" lead acid battery charger and monitor voltage with a voltmeter. If after charging for a couple of days they still don't hold a charge, I recommend you take them to an auto parts store for (usually) free testing. These steps will advise you whether they are damaged and require replacement.

Attached is a photo of what I believe to be a bathroom return air vent in our new Hull #1291 Elite II. It is on the back side of the aft bathroom wall, right above the black tank flush/check valve, and therefore accessible from underneath the front dinette seat. The second attached photo is shot from the bath side. I suspect the return air is expected to make its way back to the furnace through the area under the floor. You will note that the forced air vents are smaller than in previous models. I believe this is because we were the third Elite II upgraded to the Truma AC/VarioHeat furnace package. The air ducts are smaller diameter, but much more substantial than I have seen in photos previously posted on this forum. Maybe Oliver added return air vents as part of this upgrade? For what it's worth, a cold front moved into Tennessee last night. It has been in the high 30's today, with lows for tonight forecast to be in the mid-20's. We have run the furnace most of the day, with the bathroom door closed, yet it has been only a bit cooler in the bath than in the main cabin. I suspect that small return air duct has helped balance the flow of heated air to the bathroom.

We took delivery on an Elite II yesterday, with the 2-5/16" coupler upgrade, towed by a 2019 Tundra. I installed a 2-5/16" Andersen hitch today. Why? We figured the $250 for the 2-5/16" coupler upgrade, combined with $0 more for the 2-5/16" Andersen WD hitch vs. the 2" (which was purchased online and installed by me to save some $$$$), were sensible insurance against the ball wear issues John Davies reported on this forum some years ago.

Thanks for the "heads up" about the gelcoat on the roof. We took delivery of Hull #1291 yesterday. Our preliminary inspection has revealed generally good attention to detail so far. But, a roof issue surfaced today. It rained in Hohenwald last night. We found a water leak near the air conditioner onto the bed after driving to David Crockett State Park. As we had not used the AC yet, we figure a sealant failure around the AC unit allowed residual rainwater to leak through the hulls during the drive. So, we will be back in Hohenwald on Monday to get that leak addressed. I begin a more thorough inspection, including the quality of the gelcoat and sealant application on the roof, tomorrow. Any additional issues revealed by this weekend's inspection and continued systems testing will be added to our service ticket for Monday. I plan to open a new topic recounting our delivery, quality inspection and remedial service experience within the next week.

We take delivery on Hull #1291 tomorrow. I plan to conduct a thorough inspection and test all systems over the next several days. It will be interesting to see if the many service tickets reported by all of you helpful forum posters have caused Oliver's production quality control to improve enough to provide us with a flawless trailer. Stay tuned.

That is a 4" drop/rise version. It works for most, but not all, tow vehicles. It is also the 2-5/16" ball version. 2" ball is more common. Oliver installs a 2" coupler unless you upgrade to the 2-5/16". If your coupler is 2", you must get the 2" ball version. How much drop or rise you need depends on the height of the receiver on your tow vehicle. There is a good set of instructions for measuring on the Andersen website. Check that out, do the measurements and you will know which drop/rise you need.

Does the owners manual "recommend" or "require" a weight distributing hitch when towing over 5000 lbs.? There is a critical difference between those two words. Good luck proving that "Nissan didn't think I needed sway control" in court if your owners manual says differently.

Where we live in central Idaho, the saying is: "There are two kinds of people here. Those who have hit a deer, and those who are going to hit a deer." I am in a third category: those who have hit at least 2 deer!

I got mine from Amazon for $10: https://www.amazon.com/Optronics-ACP7S-Trailer-Harness-Protector/dp/B089N62GHN/ref=asc_df_B089N62GHN/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=532535399205&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13502820704720952598&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9029558&hvtargid=pla-1425403121436&psc=1

A 4" deck plate hatch is available from Amazon for about $12. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08VJ1S1KC/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=A2QJ57U0XMN4Q0&psc=1

Thanks for posting about this (hopefully rare) defect. We pick up our Elite II in about 2 weeks. I now plan to verify proper operation of the emergency egress window! Your post suggests you are fairly "handy." Did your evaluation of the rear window assembly reveal how it is installed in the Oliver? Since reputable RV repair facilities seem to be hard to find, have you determined what would be required to replace the rear window yourself, maybe with help from a friend? Jason Essary's video on window shade removal, available through the link below, shows what the windows look like with the shade assembly removed. It makes me wonder if the inside window assemblies are screwed to the outside part of the assembly, and so could be replaced by removing the screws (and, I expect, some sealant), and separating the inside and outside parts of the frame?

Interesting. Radiant heating, rather than forced air, throughout. Thanks for posting the link.

Jason recommends in his 2021 walk through video to turn off the inverter when not in use. Maybe leaving it on will wear it out sooner?

If I were traveling alone with just a small dog, the smaller Legacy Elite I would be my choice.

Thanks for the very informative post. It is particularly useful to know that the "stock" trailer will protect the water systems from freezing down to 25 F, and that you burned about 15 lbs. (3+ gallons) of propane per day when nighttime lows were in single digits. Please forgive me if this is a dumb question. But, if you kept all water systems winterized the entire time, using only containerized water and your composting toilet, what would it matter if the external shower was exposed to freezing temps? The winterizing process should have filled all of your Pex lines with RV antifreeze. What am I missing?

Placing electrical connectors in inaccessible areas is not a good practice. I am disappointed to learn that Oliver does it. I presume you opened a service ticket, as you spoke with Jason. I hope that will help Oliver learn from this experience, so the manufacturing teams will no longer place the fan wire connector in an inaccessible area.

I expect it has happened, else Jason Essary would not explain in the video linked below, at 1:29-1:30, that the purpose of the Progressive surge protector is to "sacrifice itself" in the event of a large power surge. https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=2021+Oliver+Elite+II+delivery+walkthrough#kpvalbx=_PxxUY6j5IIyF0PEP1oKlsAY_33 One consideration we took into account when deciding to invest in an external surge protector: if an external unit gets "fried," replacement is "plug and play." Not quite so easy with the internal unit.

Did you try a heat gun with a plastic putty knife?

The 55 PSI recommendation is found in this 2021 Elite II Walkthrough video at 12:39. It was published November 3, 2021:

I can't resist pointing out that while providing one important safety feature (the fire extinguisher), Oliver has created a different safety hazard in the newer models (overlong bolts that can cut you when opening the closet door). I hope Oliver properly responds to Gliddenwoods' service ticket by eliminating the overlong bolts. I plan to check for such overlong bolts when we take delivery in a couple of weeks.

It looks like an ordinary 1/2" MPT x 1/2" MPT check valve to me. Pull the part and verify pipe diameter to be sure. But, I'll bet the Pex pipe that connects to the valve is 1/2", so odds are high that the fitting is 1/2". A brass version offered by Valterra (which would be an upgrade from the plastic one Oliver installed) is available from Amazon for under $10: https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-P23415LF-Lead-Free-Check-Valve/dp/B00HJ6P0Z8/ref=sr_1_5?gclid=CjwKCAjwwL6aBhBlEiwADycBICgly1OwtJDY5Q9FclIA3jCEEmcXbufHEPlR1A_rkK51r41DjwB-PRoCqMkQAvD_BwE&hvadid=616862894778&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9029558&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=2988426038172399198&hvtargid=kwd-315243267828&hydadcr=24633_13611805&keywords=1%2F2+inch+check+valves&qid=1666189161&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjMwIiwicXNhIjoiMS44NSIsInFzcCI6IjEuNDYifQ%3D%3D&sr=8-5 Camping World sells the same fitting: https://www.campingworld.com/12-brass-check-valve-x-mpt-95194.html You may be able to find a Camping World, or even just an RV supply store, on your route that would have it in stock. Good luck!

It appears this is a new problem, so please submit a ticket. See the screen shot below, in which the back side of and Elite II closet door appears. Note the two large bolt heads capped with what appear to be nylock nuts, rather than the long, thin bolts apparently being used now, with plastic bolt caps. This image is from an Oliver Elite II video published in 2019 entitled Legacy Elite II Rear Seating and Sleeping. Is is still available on Oliver's website. Has Oliver recently opted for cheaper, smaller but longer bolts, with bolt caps instead of cutting the bolt off flush with the nut?

For what it's worth, Mike with Oliver Service confirmed today that Oliver trailers with the Lithium Pro Package (with external batter heating pad) can be left plugged into shore power during winter conditions, just like those with internal battery heaters. See this thread:

I spoke with Mike from Oliver Service this morning. He advised that, "according to Lithionics," the storage procedure for Lithionics batteries warmed by the external heating pad Oliver installs with the Lithium Pro Package is the same as for Lithionics batteries with internal heaters. So, you CAN leave Lithionics G31 batteries in an Oliver connected to shore power during winter storage, so long as the red toggle switch that controls the external battery heating pad (mounted on top of one of the batteries) is left "On." I recommended that the Oliver Service Department publish a storage procedure for the Lithium Pro Package which addresses this issue. I suggested it could forestall service tickets from folks who have the Lithium Pro Package and live in colder climates. I am pleased that Lithionics has approved the simple procedure of leaving trailers with Oliver-installed external battery heaters connected to shore power during winter storage, without pulling the batteries. But, given the nearly universal recommendation from lithium battery manufacturers to conduct a discharge/recharge cycle at least every 6 months to preserve battery life, I plan to do so once mid-winter, with the batteries still in the battery box, protected by the heating pad. Per the Lithionics Rev. 7 Storage Procedure, I plan to fully discharge the batteries, then fully recharge, then discharge back down to about 50% State of Charge, then reconnect shore power, which will return the batteries to full charge for the balance of the winter. If any of you electrically-savvy engineer types out there recommend a different approach, I would love to hear it.

I offer a contrary view to those expressed above. The Oliver we examined before placing an order was the twin bed configuration. With the permission of the owner, I spent a few minutes lying on one of her twin beds. I did not like having my inside shoulder hang off the side of the bed when on my back. I concluded that the 30" width of the Elite II twin bed is not enough for me to comfortably sleep. I am 6'0", 225 lbs. We take delivery on a standard (king-size bed) Elite II in November. The availability of the king bed option was a significant selling point for us. I strongly recommend that you actually lie down on an Elite II twin bed before deciding which layout to buy. That is what sold me on the king bed.