Hokieman
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Posts posted by Hokieman
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If you want to try camping without hookups soon after delivery, you might try Meriweather Lewis Campground, close to Hohenwald on the Natchez Trace Parkway. It’s an NFS campground, first come-first serve, and free. We haven’t stayed there yet, it’s on our list, but Campendium reviews give it 5 stars and there is a photo of an Oliver in the reviews. Comments welcome from anyone that has camped there!
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20 hours ago, Townesw said:
These Camco jack stands will stop the wobble. Just snug them up, don’t try to support the weight of the trailer.
I use these also, not always, but when I know I’m going to stay a few days and the TV is disconnected. I place them under the forward Jack points, snug them up. I use a square chunk of rubber on the top of each so as not to scratch up the frame. This mitigates the rocking when someone goes up and down the stairs. I store them in the storage basket on the front.
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4 minutes ago, Katjo said:
We are level. We check with a bubble level as well. It’s the stabilization we are having trouble with.
I understand. I was just responding to Seadawg’s comment about a Bluetooth device.
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19 hours ago, SeaDawg said:
There's a device that can help you get truly level, Bluetooth. I'll see if I can find the thread. It's
LevelMate "For trailer leveling, I use the LevelMate Pro by LogicBlue. I purchased it and had Oliver install it for me on delivery day in the closet because I was not confident that the attaching screws would be too long and pierce the visible side of the fiberglass. This system works like a charm, and I have verified its accuracy using a 4' level.“
I use a Levelmate Pro also. I was worried about the screws inside the closet so I used vhb tape. Occasionally I check with bubble level, it’s still stuck in place.
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3 hours ago, John E Davies said:
recommended strong isopropyl alcohol for tree sap
Good point. I’m guessing the petroleum products could degrade the elastomers or sealants that secure the frame.
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12 hours ago, Dena Hill said:
Can we run our AC while boondocking with our solar and lithium batteries?
Just wondering if your original question was answered? The 1st two replies you received from John Davies and Steve and MA sum up the situation. The link in John Davies post explains the details. So now you know what your wonderful trailer will or won’t do in regards to running the AC off grid, only you can decide how you plan to use it. Maybe you will use a generator, maybe not. Perhaps you’ll use additional solar panels, some do, some don’t. No wrong answers. If you’d like to know more, you could do a search, there are several other posts that discuss the topic. Let us know if you can’t find the answers, there are many here that will help you.
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Update: I just looked at the 2022 Owners Manual, Elite plumbing diagram, and found a surprise. The diagram shows a ball valve on the Fresh Water fill line. Why it’s there, I have no idea. I was not aware there is one on my trailer, but it’s also shown on the 2021 diagram. If there is a valve (I will be checking to confirm), then it must be in the open position on my trailer. Check to see if you have a valve like that, and if it’s open or closed. As I mentioned, this temporary problem will not keep you from camping, You can fill your tank from the Boondocking port, or you can fill it faster from the City Water fill. To fill using the City Water inlet port, open the 3 valves circled in red in the photo. The one on the lower left is the valve I’ve never seen before. No need to watch the See Level monitor, when the tank is full, it will overflow onto the ground.
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2 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:
It seems to me that the fresh water connection is a straight shot to the tank and water should flow even if it is full.
There is a check valve in that line, its possible that is defective or clogged with something. Did you check to see that your screen did not come dislodged and get forced into the valve? It’s possible to fill the tank from the City Water inlet. It requires a simple non-standard valve configuration that can be figured out by studying the plumbing diagram. Let me know if you need more help with that.
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8 hours ago, Bryan in NC said:
we found the online documentation, especially the electrical layout section in the owners manual, useful.
Thanks so much for highlighting this in 2022 Owners Manual! I also checked the 2021 manual for my trailer in the Oliver University and that manual has been updated with many electrical layout diagrams. While they are not detailed wiring schematics, they are a big improvement over the blank pages that were in the manual when I received my trailer. Not sure if you newer folks have seen some of the posts, but a lack of electrical schematics in 2020 and later have been the source of many posts & complaints. Looks like somebody at Oliver responded with a compromise. If you do need more detailed wiring schematics, you can refer to the 2019 Owners Manual, which will get you close. You can also put pressure on your Oliver Sales team in advance and request them on behalf of us all.
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On 9/1/2022 at 4:45 PM, Brian and Brandelyne Lewis said:
So you are saying you have 340W of solar panels and in full sunlight you only recovered 10% each day?
14 hours ago, Jstone said:Yes to replacing +/- 10% per day.
I’ve got the same Zamp 340W panels on our trailer also, as well as the standard Zamp 30A PWM controller. In a conversation with Zamp Tech Support, they said to expect an average of +/- 70AH/day, conditions varying widely of course. This figure lines up fairly well with @Jstone’s +/-10% (~63AH). I’ve never measured my daily solar input carefully, plan to do that soon just to confirm. I know I can improve that with retrofitting a Victron MPPT controller, but frankly, I have not come up short on stored power when I need it….yet. We do not have an inverter nor a microwave, so no major energy draws. I have an older Honda EU2000 generator if we fall short on power, however we rarely use it, and only to run the AC for a short while. Does anyone have good figures of how much daily power their 340W Zamp panels produce? If so, let us know which controller you use.
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3 hours ago, Steve and Deb said:
Is there an external port for auxiliary solar panels that goes directly to the solar charge controller? If so, are there limitations?
There is a Zamp sidewall port on the street side near the battery box. The fused circuit is wired directly to the batteries. It has a limit of maybe 10A, but that’s just a guess, I don’t recall. Only the roof panels go through a controller. You’ll have to buy a small controller, PWM types are very inexpensive. As Seadawg mentioned, the Zamp outlet is an SAE type, reverse polarity. Zamp Port
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3 hours ago, Steve and Deb said:
Is there an external 115V AC outlet at/near the front of the trailer?
No. There is a dual AC outlet on the rear curb side.
3 hours ago, Steve and Deb said:Is there an external 12V DC outlet at/near the front of the trailer?
No. I use a portable battery to power my portable fridge, which is usually stowed in my truck. If the battery gets low, I use a Zamp extension cable plugged into the 12v Zamp sidewall port near the battery box. I use the same cable to extend the distance to my portable Zamp Portable Panels.
Zamp Cable Extension3 hours ago, Steve and Deb said:Am I going to have a problem adding a 115V AC and/or 12V DC outlet up front?
It’s not difficult to install these components, but I suggest you get your trailer first to figure out if it’s necessary. As you mentioned, you could just run a short AC extension cord to the power post to power your truck fridge, or run a 12v cable to the side port.
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On 8/30/2022 at 8:27 PM, In Pursuit said:
Taking a close look at my connection with a flashlight it looks like the valve screw is broken.
Your photos do not show the broken component of the valve you mentioned. Could you try again, and ensure the photo is in focus? Have you tried connecting your grill to the other QD connection at the rear of the trailer?
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17 minutes ago, Jim and Chris Neuman said:
Replacing these plastic ties would be on my annual to-do list.
We’ll be up there occasionally anyway cleaning the panels. It only takes a few minutes to replace the zip ties.
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Hello and welcome! I recommend you spend a lot of time following and researching on this forum. You will not find more helpful people or better information anywhere, and it will help you tremendously for future planning. Be patient with the search engine. Don’t be discouraged by posts that seem negative, they are usually constructive advice. Most of the mods and repairs you will read about have nothing to do with Oliver quality or design. They are most often related to RV components common to major brands, just normal trailer fixit stuff.
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See this Facebook post from May 2021 for supporting evidence for this mod. If you haven’t already done so, please check and modify the mounting knobs on your solar panels. Having a panel fly off at speed could not only be expensive, it could be a major liability if any following vehicles sustain damage or injuries.
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I found the reference, it was on Facebook Oliver Trailer Owners. Apologies are needed however, my memory failed me. The Oliver owners panels did not come off, they said they were just “flopping like fish”. My assumption when I read that in May 2021 was that major damage was imminent, so the knobs needed to be secured. I’ve attached the screenshot from Facebook here, and also on your other thread.
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4 hours ago, John E Davies said:
WOW, can you please post this information on that thread?
Sure will, if I can find it. I think it was on Oliver Owners Facebook page. My wife uses Facebook, I do not. I’ll ask her to do a search for me to find that post, which must have been a year ago give or take.
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My 2021 model brackets are the same. Before I picked it up from factory, I read a post on this forum, or perhaps Facebook, from an owner that had a panel come off due to the fastener knob working loose, did some expensive damage. Then I read about JDs mod. This was the first mod I did, first afternoon after picking up at the campground. It’s quick, easy & cheap insurance. Thanks JD!
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1 hour ago, Steph and Dud B said:
No way I'd attach a sun shade to our Girard awning. Seems way too flimsy. And I wouldn't disable the automatic retraction, either. But you could. Each awning has a separate power switch on the main control panel.
Here’s a link to a previous post explaining a good way to support that flimsy self-supporting awning, and some reasons for doing it.
I’ve got a set of the Carefree poles from a previous trailer, but haven’t used them yet with my automatic Girard. @Mike & Carol’s sun shade looks like a terrific accessory I’d like to have.
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22 hours ago, John Welte said:
"No noticeable temp increases."
I was probably not clear on this point. I was referring to the tire “stabilized” temps meaning the normal “warm” air pressure increases due to driving vs cold tire inflation. My point was, when I increased & decreased pressures ~15 psi, the tire temps did not increase or decrease significantly. This leads me to conclude the tires are not under-inflated, which will cause temps to increase.
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On 8/20/2022 at 3:56 PM, rideandfly said:
Sent a request to Cooper for a inflation chart for the Cooper Discoverer HT3 Commercial Light Truck 225/75R/16 tires we installed last year, but no reply yet.
Did they not get back to you? I sent a request from the Cooper website a few days ago. Note the table Eric sent me is from The Tire and Rim Association, Inc. 2017. The Toyo table that @DavePhelps sent above is from The European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation v2007.3.30. I read the same value @ 45psi on both tables.
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I also contacted Eric @ Cooper Tires with a request to provide load rating table. He sent me the attached. Note at 45 psi cold the LT rating equivalent to my Cooper Discoverer HT3 LT 225/75R/16 shows a max load rating of 1630 lbs per tire. In my case, this is more weight than I typically travel with.
Cooper Contact Info:
Eric
Consumer Relations Specialist
Cooper Tire and Rubber Company
1-800-854-6288
Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm EST-
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Camping/sights fr. Hohenwald to Smokies
in Campgrounds & Parks
Posted
Yes, I am a Hokie, College of Engineering, 1985.
Sounds like a great plan! FWIW, after my delivery, I couldn’t find anything worth a trip back to the factory. All minor stuff I fixed later myself with help by phone or email with Oliver Service. My delivery was a pleasant experience.