Cameron

Picked up my trailer in July 2020. The tap lights were all good. They only came on when I tapped them, whether or not I had flipped the master switch. Then, one day about a year later, they all mysteriously went dim and stayed on. I opened a ticket and service sent me new ones, including a little rivet gun. I removed the old ones and replaced with the new ones. I discovered the new ones always came on whenever I flipped the master switch. Service told me that they'd changed vendors or something and the lights they sent me were different than the ones installed. They also said that they will go on whenever the master switch is flipped, whether or not I've tapped each individual light. That's just the way the new product works. Hope this helps.

I didn't know the trailer has a heavy side. I would have guessed the street side due to batteries.

Immediately got on Amazon and ordered it. I love this forum. In addition to helping me fix problems I have, it teaches me about problems I didn't even know I have. Yea!

I can't picture this mod but I want to do it. If you have time to give some instructions and pix, I might just try it.

I have the 3000w inverter but also have the same problem. The on/off switches on both the remote and the inverter don't seem to do anything. The only way I've turned off the inverter is by tripping the breakers, or turning off/on the Lithiums. It's been like that since I got the trailer. It's not really a problem though, so far. Where I store my trailer, the only shore power is from a 120v outlet, and the trailer doesn't seem to want to run off that. The lights flicker. So I turn on the batteries and all is good with both shore power and batteries on.

I've rented my 1964 Corvair, and I have rental property. I even rented a spare bedroom in my house for a quick second on AirBnb, but I can't imagine ever renting my Ollie. It's way too personal. No way. But, before I bought my Ollie I did rent a Jayco, an Airstream, and a Keystone Bullet, all on Outdoorsy. So it was good for me, but no way would I ever put my Ollie out there.

Yes. On a couple of my zerks I had to raise and lower, raise and lower, putting pressure on and off the suspension a couple times before they'd take the grease.

It seems that in the modern world, with our modern lingo, "opening a ticket" is the equivalent of saying, "Hey, just want to give you guys a heads up on something." I've opened tickets on minor little things that were really questions more than complaints about the trailer. I think it's how they keep track of customer feedback. Of course, they could just read all the forums (which I know they do sometimes) but that would take a while!

Whoa! What's the story on that black Oliver? I'm fascinated!

Ok, Airstream may be the coolest exterior, but Oliver has the coolest interior, by far, as proven by your pix!

I use the Google Chromecast at home for streaming, so I got one for the Ollie, plugged it into the Visio HDMI slot, and it works like a charm. I turn on the hotspot on my android phone, which allows the television to connect, then stream whatever I want. I have the lithiums and am able to power the television, microwave and air conditioner off the batteries (not at the same time!).

Your surge protector is under the rear dinette seat. That's just the box with the electronics. You also have an electronic readout screen inside the rear cabinet, streetside. It displays codes that mean different things. Check out the manual for the code definitions and other operating info. It seems to be a competent surge protector, and you won't need any others.

Welcome! I also struggled to understand all the different systems and how they work with each other. My confusion led me to think that things were broken when they actually just needed a button pushed or setting changed. Definitely call OTT service (they call that "opening a ticket") for any question, or put it up here on the forum. Like they say, there's no such thing as a dumb question.

Just bought this one from Costco, it's on sale now for a couple weeks. It has good reviews and I found a good video on Youtube that shows break-in procedures. https://www.costco.com/a-ipower-1800w-running2300peak--powered-by-yamaha-inverter-generator.product.100653776.html Once I get it hooked up I'll post results.

This brings up a good topic. I'm in California so I don't have to worry about any weather events. But, soon I'm hoping to start touring other parts of the country that might have hail, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc. If I was out with the Ollie and one of those events was brewing, I'm not sure what I'd do. Seek cover? Try to tie the frame down to a tree? Drive like hell in the opposite direction?

For what it's worth, here's my story. In mid-2000 I started shopping for my tow vehicle. I narrowed it down to what I have now, and started shopping nationwide using Cars.com. Using email cut down on the silly salesmen antics but sometimes I did have to talk on the phone. I had to ask each dealer to send me a build sheet of the truck I was looking at because sometimes their listings weren't accurate. I finally got my deal in Benton, Arkansas at Everett GMC. Couldn't have been easier. I got a one-way flight from San Francisco to Little Rock and stayed one night in a downtown hotel. (Had a good steak dinner that night too!) My salesman picked me up the next morning at the hotel and drove me 30 minutes to the dealership. I completed a little bit of paperwork, got the keys, and began a fun road trip back to California. Of course, California being California, the DMV required all sorts of stupid stuff (including a smog on a brand new truck!) but I got it registered without a hitch. I think I saved about $4k getting it out of state. Yes, the flight and hotel and fuel on the way home took some of that away, but it was a great trip. I even stopped for a factory tour at Oliver and met Anita. So, the point is, don't be afraid of looking out of state. You might just get a great deal.

Welcome! I think you'll have lots of questions now, and even more after you pick up your trailer. Believe it or not, the answers to most of your questions are right here in the forum postings. You'll have to search around and dig a bit, but you'll find another owner who's dealt with the same issue. If not, create a new topic post and you'll be sure to get lots of help. There's lots to learn about your new trailer, but with patience and a good attitude you'll be a pro in no time.

don't know if this is relevant or not, but i've noticed that if i hit the door lock button on the door handle of my pickup, the rear lights on the Ollie flicker. but if I lock the truck with the key fob, it doesn't do that. my trick is a GMC, yours is a Chevy, so, maybe?

Ok, that last pic of the low bridge makes me anxious. we don't really have those things out west. once i start going on longer trips that take me to the east coast, i'm sure i'll encounter those and hopefully not ruin my Ollie!!

I had a chance to try out the Ollie during our recent publicized heat wave last week. The first day I was boondocking the high was 118. Wow. While driving in the heat, I was very happy to see that all my tires did great, both on my truck and on the Ollie. Believe it or not, I haven't had any air loss in the tires since last summer when I picked it up. It sits most of the time but I have taken it out on a few trips. I've got about 3500 miles on it so far. Attached is a pic of my dash readout of the GMC TPMC system from my truck's dash. I wish I had a generator to run the AC for longer periods b/c it was sooooo hot. I've got the Lithium Pro which allows me to run the AC off the batteries, but I do it just for short periods, like 30 to 45 minutes. I'm careful b/c I don't want to run the batteries all the way down while boondocking without a generator. I've never camped with a generator but I'm thinking that at times like this it would be very nice. The solar panels, including my 100w portable panel plugged into the external Zamp port, did put juice back into the batteries but no so much that it was like plugging into shore power. They raised my SOC about 15% each day, but then I used that up in the evenings. I experimented with trying to cool down the interior during the middle part of the day. No shade. The first day I ran the AC to bring the interior temp down, then shut everything up and left for five hours. When I returned the interior was like an oven! 105 degrees. The next day I kept the bathroom window and the rear window opened a crack and put the fan on at 30 percent blowing out to draw air through the trailer, then left for 5 hours. When I got back it was again very hot inside, but maybe a few degrees cooler than the previous day. So much for that experiment. The Norcold fridge performed well. I had it up to 8 and the first day it was maybe too full, but it kept things cold enough. Not very cold, but cold enough not to spoil. The ice was still solid when I returned. I did rig up a little battery powered fan to blow hot air away from the exterior top fridge vent, which I think helped a bit. At night I kept the ceiling fan on blowing in (30 percent) and another battery powered fan to blow across the bed and I slept well. So, after testing out the Ollie in 100+ temps, I've decided that I need fridge fans (probably the Fridge Defend as discussed elsewhere on the forums) and also a generator to keep the AC on for longer periods. Also I didn't need to turn on the hot water heater because the fresh water tank warmed up to a cool but comfortable temp for showering.

Here's an update. It's mid-day, no clouds. (Hot!) With the panel connected, directly facing the sun, my Lithionics app shows power generation at 53.1W, and 4A. When I disconnect the portable solar panel, it shows 26.3W and 2A. So, my highly scientific assessment shows that it works. I'm surprised that it seems to double the charge going into the batteries when the rooftop solar is 400w and the little portable panel is just 100w. The provided charge controller is very basic and does not have settings for different types of batteries. So maybe a 300w portable panel would be better? Or maybe a different charge controller would be better? For the moment, it was an inexpensive panel that was already set up for plug and play.

I'm going to take this off on a little tangent, but I think it's relevant to some of the posts. In hot weather boondocking, I'm using my Lithium Pro package sparingly. For example, after getting back to the Ollie in the afternoon, I'll turn it on to cool down the interior temps, maybe running it for 30 min. Then, while preparing dinner I might run it for another half hour. Then, when getting ready for bed I might run it again for a half hour. This might bring the SOC from 85% down to 55%. Then, the next day, the panels might bring the SOC back up to 75%. Sometimes I'd like to run the AC a bit longer, but, the numbers don't add up. So, I'm considering getting a small generator for the main purpose of charging the batteries back up. Basically, to provide a little extra help for the solar panels. I guess if I was camping during cloudy times or short days the generator would also help. I could go with a 1000w generator, nice and small and light, or I could get the 2000w or 2200w which seems to be more popular with folks here. How quickly would a 1000w generator charge up my batteries? Does it make sense to get the 1000w or should I just get the bigger one so I'd have less run time (less noise!). Right now my goal is not to run the AC directly off the generator.

Wow. Perfect timing. I've decided that I need to get a fan for my fridge because I also like to boondock in warmer weather. I'm thinking about the Fridge Defend, but want to know about Dave's project also. Whomever is doing a mod to cool off the fridge, please show off your work with some pics and step by step instructions. I'd be very appreciative.

hi john, i took delivery 14 months ago and i thought i was prepared. i'd read the forums and made lists of things to check. i thought i was taking my time and asking questions and being very careful. of course, there were a bunch of things i missed. it's so true that the excitement really affects your ability to look at the trailer with a critical eye. like most new owners, i've had a number of issues pop up, and they're still popping. however, the service department is really incredible about answering questions, problem solving, and resolving any issues with the trailer. i've opened plenty of tickets in the short period since i've had the trailer. i recommend that after picking up your trailer, stay in the general area for a few days. try all the components. try them while connected to shore power, and not connected to shore power. look at all the forums and then check your own trailer. for example, if there's a post about someone finding a loose nut or bolt somewhere, check your trailer to see if you have that same problem. open up all the interior hatch doors (under the beds and dinette seats) and try to familiarize yourself with what you find in there so that you at least know what the inverter looks like and where it is. sounds like you're doing everything right so far, so i don't think there's anything else you can do before delivery. i think the immediate days and weeks after delivery is when you'll really get up to speed.

I've got the 390 ah system with three lithiums. Most of my boondocking so far has been in warmer weather, sometimes hot. The AC is very handy during meal prep (30 min?) or for a nap (90 min?) when it's just too darn hot inside. On those occasions the AC worked great and was much appreciated. With the Lithionics app on my phone, I can monitor in real time the draw on the batteries and watch them go from something like 87% to 65% for a longer AC use. I do this knowing that it will take longer for the solar panels to charge the batteries back up. I don't have a generator. I was told by Anita before I bought my trailer that the batteries would run the AC for four hours. I've never tested that. I think that once you have your trailer you'll be able to experiment while boondocking to see exactly how much you can use the AC. If you want to use it a lot on a regular basis, well, the batteries won't handle that and you'll need a generator.