Rivernerd

For our Elite II scheduled for delivery summer 2022, I also would like to have a longer tongue, or, alternatively, a longer drawbar adding at least another 3" between the hitch receiver and the trailer ball. So, I called Andersen today to inquire whether they will custom fabricate a longer drawbar for their weight distribution hitches, like the one they used to offer. Answer: NO. The person I spoke with confirmed that Andersen used to offer a longer drawbar, but not any more, because it was determined that it reduced the GTW rating "too much." I noted that the drawbar that is included with the #3350 WD hitch I plan to purchase includes two hitch-pin holes, one about 1.5" inboard of the other. See photo below. I asked the Andersen rep if it was o.k. to use the inner hole to increase the receiver-hitch ball distance by that 1.5". I was told that is fine, and is indeed the reason there are two holes, but that Andersen is not comfortable making or selling a drawbar that is any longer, or has any more holes. So, if I don't like the TV rear bumper-to-Elite II A-frame distance once I pick up the trailer, I may be paying for custom modification of the Andersen stock drawbar, with the reinforcing gussets John Davies suggests, to ensure an ample GTW rating.

A belated response to your query: In his 2021 delivery video, Jason explains that the second fuse for the front jack under the rear street side access panel is installed to satisfy a requirement that the circuit be fused within "x" distance from the power source. The power source, of course, is the battery bank. Jason does not specify what the "x" distance is in the video.

Kirk: My wife and I have an Oliver Elite II on order for delivery next summer. We have found the folks on this forum to be incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. It is one of the reasons we ultimately chose to order an Oliver. When we began investigating Olivers, we quickly learned that they are in high demand. Used ones sell quickly for close to what they cost initially, and there is presently a 9-to-10 month lag between a new factory order and delivery. Good luck with your decision.

I don't yet own an Ollie, but I would also do as you suggested, i.e., open the valve behind the toilet until it "runs pink". If I understand the plumbing design of the Oliver trailers correctly, there is no separate "upstream" valve with which the water line to the toilet can be isolated. Since the entire water supply system is pressurized with water whenever either city water or the fresh water tank is used to supply water to other fixtures, there will be water in that toilet supply line that must be replaced with RV antifreeze to avoid freeze breakage.

Do you mind posting what those two "minor issues" were that were fixed on site? I am still fine-tuning my delivery inspection checklist for next summer.

FWIW, we plan to order the shower curtain and track on our Elite II scheduled for delivery next summer. My wife would prefer a true dry bath, but that it not an option with Oliver. So, the $250 is worth it to us because we hope it will simulate a dry bath, enabling us to keep the toilet area, and towel(s) hanging on the towel bar, dry when showering. Do those of you who have the shower curtain with track find that you can realistically keep the toilet area, including the towel bar, dry, so you don't have to leave the towel(s) outside the bath when showering?

I have a Elite II on order. I asked Oliver if they would install a different AC unit if I bought it and had it delivered to them. Answer: No. Some folks who post on this forum have replaced their noisy Dometic Penguin II units with Houghton/RecPro units themselves. But, a quick internet check revealed that the RecPro unit would only save you about 5/8" in height, not the 3" you need. So, I cannot offer a solution to your quandry, but can help you rule out AC replacement. FWIW, I am 6'0". When I stood in the bath of an Elite II we were allowed to tour, my head almost hit the bath fan handle that hangs down below the plane of the fiberglass ceiling. That is acceptable to me, but I decided then that an Elite I would not work for me (and the bed in an Elite I is too small to suit my wife and me, as well).

I don't own an Ollie yet, but I have installed and replaced about a dozen faucets in homes we have owned (and built) over the years. It appears to me from photos that with all three drawers under the sink removed, you should be able to squeeze your body into position to reach the faucet. I have two torn rotator cuffs that make it difficult for me to raise my hands over my head for very long. So, when replacing a faucet lying on my back under a cabinet, I work a bit, drop my arms and rest, work a bit, rest, etc. I wear an adjustable headlamp to see what I'm doing when underneath a sink. And, I pad the places where my back rests on the the cabinet with towels, for comfort. It's not my favorite task, but it beats watching someone else charge me for their time! Like you, I always prefer to DIY. Good luck!

Fairmontrvpark: Did Oliver substitute a 2-5/16 bulldog coupler for you, or did you swap out the coupler after you took delivery?

Although we don't take delivery on our Elite II until next summer, I considered how useful it would later be for boondocking when I recently purchased a dual fuel backup generator for home use. FWIW, I ended up buying a dual fuel 2kW Champion from the orange big box store online, for many of the same reasons you reference. I have tested it with propane, and it works well. Others on this forum have reported that the Champion 2kw is adequate to run the AC on an Ollie, with the Micro Air East Start installed. I would not be satisfied with the Alp 1kw unit because to obtain that same level of performance, I would have to buy and carry two of 'em, not one. Today, the Champion 2kw can be purchased for about $100 more than an Alp 1kw (which is running a Black Friday sale now). My Champion dual fuel 2kw weighs 39 lbs. empty. It emits about 60 db at the standard 20 feet, a bit louder than 1 Alp 1kw, but I doubt louder than 2 in parallel. So, two Alp 1kw units run in parallel cost several hundred $$$ more, and have a combined weight of 60 lbs. vs. 40 lbs. for roughly the same output as the Champion. I would not be interested in 2 Alp 1kw units at more than 1.5x the cost and the weight. What am I missing?

If the reported $25K quote for AGM to LiFePO4 upgrade is accurate, maybe Oliver is throwing out deliberately high bids because they really don't want the work? I expect that, like the manufacturing side, Oliver's Service Department is struggling to keep up with just regular service on the rapidly increasing number of Olivers now on the road. I had a similar experience recently serving as general contractor on the home we built in rural Idaho during a hot building economy. We got several outrageously high bids from potential roofing and drywall subcontractors that said to me: "O.k., we will make the drive and do your job, even though we are really busy "in town," if you are willing to pay enough to put my kids through college." In some cases I ended up doing the work myself because we were not willing to pay that extreme premium. But, we are planning to pay the premium for the Lithium Pro Package on our Elite II because we believe the economics of that factory upgrade make sense.

My wife and I are taking delivery of an Elite II next summer as well. We haven't yet been required to make a final commitment on upgrades, but we are leaning toward the Lithium Pro Package over the Solar Pro package. In response to an earlier, similar post inquiring whether to go with wet cell or AGM, I stated the reasons we have tentatively chosen the Lithium Pro Package. I have edited it to more specifically address your LIFePO4 vs. AGM query: "We are presently planning to spend the extra $$$$ on the Lithium Pro Package [over the Solar Pro Package], for many reasons: (1) we view it as "future proofing" (it's a lot easier to have the more robust 3kw inverter and wiring infrastructure installed during construction); (2) we hope to be able to run the AC with just our 2kw generator, which requires the Micro Air Easy Start [included in the Lithium Pro Package] (which is also much easier to install in the factory before the AC goes on the roof); (3) we want to be able to run the AC, albeit for only a short time, on the batteries; (4) LiFePO4 accepts a full charge much faster than lead/acid, and so is more efficiently recharged with solar; (5) 390Ah of LiFePO4 provides much more usable battery capacity than 400 Ah of [lead/acid/AGM batteries], because only about 50% of lead/acid capacity is usable before recharge compared to 85% with LiFePO4; (6) payload,and therefore trailer weight, is an issue with our 2019 Tundra 5.7L Double Cab tow vehicle, and LiFePO4 saves a couple hundred pounds vs. [AGM] and (7) the increased cost is offset to some extent by the 10-year probable life of LiFePO4 batteries." I will add with regard to the first point, future proofing, that we plan to own our Ollie for a couple of decades, and we believe that the price of LiFePO4 batteries vs. AGM will continue to drop over that time as lithium R&D costs are recovered. We do not plan to spend the additional $4400 for the 630 Ah Lithium Platinum Package because we believe 390 Ah will be enough. But, if, over time, we decide we really want more battery capacity, it will likely be less expensive later, and we can add it without having to also upgrade the inverter or any internal wiring. I expect you know you will likely get between 3 and 5 years of service from AGMs. So, over the probable 10-year life of the LiFePO4 batteries, you will be required to replace the AGMs at least once, maybe twice. Today, you must pay at least $800 for 400Ah of AGM capacity. And, I note you have purchased a Honda 2200i generator. If you plan to run the AC using that generator, you will still need to spend the extra $400 for the MicroAir Easy start if you don't opt for the Lithium Pro Package. So, over time and considering the cost of the MicroAir Easy Start, the "net" cost differential between the Solar Pro and Lithium Pro packages falls more in the $2400-$3100 range, not $4300. For these reasons, we are still planning to spend the extra on the Lithium Pro Package. Hope this helps with your decision.

I believe the drum brakes Oliver is currently installing are mounted on Dexter "Nev-R-Lube" axles. Dexter touts those axles as a "sealed cartridge bearing system," with a 5-year,100,000 mile warranty. So, even though I won't have to annually grease the 8 sets of wheel bearings on the Elite II I am committed to receive next year, I will plan to the pull all four drums annually to check the brake shoes. Thanks for the reminder! That said, I am with John Davies on this one. Having worked on many sets of both drum and disc brakes on my vehicles over the past 40+ years, I prefer disc brakes by a large margin. If Oliver offered them as an upgrade, I would pay that premium.

I have done a fair amount of plumbing, including all of the plumbing in my new home in Idaho. It is my understanding that PVC is commonly used for DWV (Drain, Waste and Vent) plumbing in the Eastern US, while ABS is almost exclusively used for DWV pipe and fittings in the West. If you go to HD or Lowes in Washington or Idaho, nearly all available DWV fittings and pipe, including toilet flanges, are ABS. The only explanation I've heard is that is what the "local" inspectors are used to, and therefore require. Where, per Jason Essary, the two parts are not glued but only pressed into a rubber bushing on the black tank, either a PVC or ABS toilet flange with stub would work.

As one who takes delivery of a 2022 Elite II next summer, I am delighted to hear that report. Now that you have had 10 days with your new Elite II, are your "high expectations" still being "exceeded"?

If it's any comfort, my wife and I have an Elite II "in the queue", and we get the same answer to our requests. We have come to accept it as a necessary result of the present economy. Fortunately, we're happy with the stock LT tires!

John Davies: Did you ever find a solution to extending the tongue on your Elite II? I have an Elite II on order and also would like to find a sensible way to extend the stock tongue, after I take delivery. BTW, thanks for your many informative posts addressing mods and repairs. I have learned a ton from them. Ralph Pond

My wife and I have a 2022 Elite II on order for late summer delivery. The upgrades referenced in your post are much appreciated. We would be thrilled if you offered one more upgrade: a quieter air conditioner. A number of Oliver owners posting on this forum have replaced their stock Dometic Penguin II AC units with Houghton/Rec Pro or Coleman Mach 10 NDQ units. They report that these are MUCH quieter than the Dometic, which has been compared to a "lawnmower in your trailer" or even a "jet engine." If you can find a way to offer a quieter AC unit for a reasonable upgrade price, we want one! Ralph Pond

I am not an engineer, and I am joining this thread many months later. But, I do know that in a house, the purpose of a "furnace grate" is to provide a return air path to the furnace to balance the HVAC system. We owned a large L-shaped, 2-story home in the Seattle area that had only one cold air return per floor, located near the joint in the "L". We heated with forced air gas. The rooms at the ends of the legs of the "L" were always cold in the winter, while the rooms in the center of the "L" were warm. I was advised this is because there were not return air vents in those outward rooms, and so the flow of heated air was not balanced. It was too expensive to retrofit, so we just lived with it. When we built our new home in Idaho, we ensured that the HVAC contractor placed return air vents in every room, on the opposite side of the room from the supply air vent, not just one or two big "furnace grates" in the middle of the structure. We also heat the Idaho home with forced air gas. Even though winters are much colder in the Idaho mountains than in the Seattle area, the outward rooms in the Idaho home stay at about the same temp as the core of the house. So, I expect the purpose of the return air vent under the rear dinette/bed area in an Elite II is to balance the system, i.e., to pull cooled air back to the furnace for reheating and redistribution through the supply ducts into the cabin. If I understand correctly, the return air grill on an Elite II is cut into the inner hull under the curb side bed. This places it just inboard of the furnace in an Elite II, and at least a few feet from the supply air vents. This allows the system to achieve "balance," or more even heating within the cabin. Since the trailer cabin is essentially one "room," it does not surprise me that there is only one return air grill. But, it also does not surprise me that the bathroom, which is the only "room" in the trailer separated from the cabin by a door, would be colder than the rest of the cabin without its own return air ducting. Thus, it makes sense that Mainiac's addition of a butterfly vent high in the bathroom wall resulted in a warmer bathroom. It appears to me that this design allows the space between the inner and outer hulls to act as a return air "duct" for the bath, balancing the flow of heated air into that small, but separate, room. We don't take delivery on our Elite II until next summer. But if we find that the bathroom feels cold when camping in cooler temps, I plan to add a butterfly vent, like Mainiac did. Thanks, Mainiac!

Thanks for the education. I had only seen it in white until now.

My undergraduate degree is in Economics. Your use of the term "price elastic" makes perfect sense to me in this context. As does the Idaho State Parks policy. Washington residents are not paying Idaho state taxes to support Idaho state parks, so it is fair to charge Washington residents more to use them. I was a Washington State resident for 35 years, but now live in Idaho again, so I have experienced both sides of that issue.

That "wye bracket" looks like a Let's Go Aero Bike Wing. How is it mounted to the trailer?

https://www.nrs.com/ethafoam-blocks/pxkv?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=1672873107&utm_content=68835701990&utm_term=&gclid=CjwKCAiAp8iMBhAqEiwAJb94z0uouUdxPvFm7ihNxq3GIntqQBJiImQQFLgVrm7c6Ds00S4PuKipBxoCYU8QAvD_BwE Available in 1" or 2". The 1" thickness should work, as it is much more compressible than HDPE, and so would compress enough to leave about a 5/8" gap for the drain hose once the top and bottom parts of the unit were secured using longer screws.