SeaDawg

I'd personally never put gas, or a gas genset on the bumper, but others might. For a number of reasons. Rear end collision hazard, top among them. Difficult to use rear exit window in a true emergency. Theft opportunities. Changes tow balance, etc. There is a tray available for the tongue, if your trailer doesn't have one already. All you need is a small, lightweight genset to charge the batteries, imo. We only carry a Honda 1000. It charges batteries, when solar fails in crummy weather. It won't run ac. Slightly heavier, in the 220 to 2400 watt range, may run the ac for you, as well. Still something I can lift and move. Not as easily, but possible. Does your trailer have the front generator connection? We do, though we've never used it.

@csevel, we've also enjoyed the weatherstripping. Like you, we have the manual awning, and can roll it back to a short distance. We still have the original on our 2008. It has some stains, but it's still there, and works. But, we don't store in totally direct sun, nor pine trees or cottonwood and the like, and their mess.

I don't carry bikes, but I feel your pain. A carefully worded weight restriction, including "no trailer connection" from their legal team might just allow them to offer the 2" hitch again. Maybe. One bad apple (that we know of...) spoils... it for everyone. Keep asking, folks. People who buy the best trailer tend to buy better bikes and better bike racks, imo.

Not for nothing, as a friend used to say, I doubt the new batteries made that difference. Especially with 110 outlets, which have zero to do with your batteries (unless you'retalking about running them from the inverter. Plugged in, your charger/converter steps 110 down to 12v.) Bouncing down the road could jiggle some connections. A new campsite on return might give you more clean power. Or, fewer campers on the same run might give you better, cleaner power . Glad everything is working, and I have my fingers crossed. I'd still schedule a good rv tech and inspection, were it me. I'm certain replacement of the batteries was a good idea, though. 5 years is likely end of life, especially when your trailer may have not been well maintained by previous owner. What batteries did you buy?

@Margaret, if you changed out batteries today, your thermostat may have reverted to factory settings. Maybe, maybe not. If that's it, maybe your camper friend could take another look. What do you mean by "wonky?" If you are cooler now, and it's night, it might be a good time to check the return filter as @Townesw suggested. Many rv ac problems can occur when the unit is "starved" of return air. Dirt starves the air supply. Are you near a good rv repair facility? Or, can the campground manager recommend a mobile tech? Ac problems rear their ugly heads when temps are high, as they are almost everywhere in the US today. A few things that can help keep it cooler: Are you parked in shade, or sun? Obviously, shade is better. If it's not windy, can you deploy the awning to shade the windows? Keep the shades down. Don't cook inside the trailer, if at all possible, especially in the heat of the day. Minimize door openings. Is your campground crowded? Could also be too many people on a weak circuit trying to run ac in extreme heat, causing the ems to cut in and out. 82 if it's 107 outside is not an unexpected difference, especially with a unit that may need cleaning. But, 82 at 90 isn't right, even though it takes awhile to cool the hull and cupboards, it should be better than that. Best of luck, and please keep us posted.

Per above post, they're heading back to Hohenwald for warranty assistance, as local shops do not have parts. This is a supply chain issue, imo. Parts are difficult to find, even in metropolitan areas.

Yup. Fiberglass products have doubled, nationally. Everything else, not so good, either. Glad I bought mine 15 seasons ago. It is what is is. Since fiberglass is petroleum based....it won't get cheaper, soon.

When we converted our microwave cavity to a large cupboard, my husband wired in a 12v switched pucklight to the ceiling. We've used battety and magnet lights for years in our shed in nc. Some better than others. I'll look forward to your report in a year.

@Margaret, how is the a/c doing now, and are you feeling any better? You're better off inside in the low 80's resting, than working outside in the 90+ heat, with your symptoms. Rehydrate, copiously, preferably with Gatorade or pedialite, imo.. Not a medical professional, just a mom, and that's the advice I'd give our daughter.

If it's any consolation, your order sheet shows you were only charged for upgraded fabric on the small dinette cushions, not the entire trailer. ($300) Ultrafabric runs $75 to $100 per yard. My guess would be bare minimum 3.5 yards to do a decent job on those cushions, and upholsters often charge more to work with trickier fabrics. (I know I would.) Upgrade charge for ultrafabric on all cushions is significantly more than $300. In 2021, it was close to $1000.

You can open a ticket from the front page of the forums, with your hull # , problem, name, and contact info, as well.

Pretty remarkable, right? The only forum member I know of with the affected axle part was repaired already, and other manufacturers haven't even contacted their owners. It did remind me of this post my @MDuncan. It's really important for folks who are the second owners of an Oliver to register their purchase. In the rare issue of a recall, Oliver can't find you, if you don't tell them!

That's very nice of you, @AndrewK. We are so fortunate to have so many members here like you who share their experiences and knowledge with us! Here's a link to a discussion where Andrewk shared a few photos of his install:

You might just try opening a service ticket with Oliver. Chances are, they will have clips in stock.

I wish it was us. We love Whitehorse area, and miss it!

Actually, I love my old analog tstat. Maybe I'm just old school. It doesn't cycle a lot. I set it on lowest setting at night, put on a blanket, and good to go.

My guess is 1/3 of our original norcold , and replacement dometic. Not a game changer for us. I appreciate the increased fridge capacity, more. Everyone has a different camping style. And, yes, we adjusted ours for the smaller freezer in the 130. Still. Very happy campers.

I don't know if that's Oliver's decision. Last I read, the truma ac was only available for new oem install. Very few Truma products are available for retrofit. Ps, that tiny freezer is full depth, and not quite as small as it looks. Mine has worked well for us for 4 years.

We've had the indelb truckfridge version of the cf130 on our older elite for 4 1/2 years now, and I can say unequivocally it is the most reliable, most efficient fridge we've ever had. Why do we love it? Because it works, on all ambient temperatures and elevations we've camped in, it cools down quickly, makes ice cubes in an hour, and, did I mention, it works? Consistently. And, it's really quiet. And, a light inside. I think the western and southern campers, especially, will find this to be a big plus. And, folks who routinely camp at higher elevation. There's a really good reason why most Aussie and European trailers come equipped with dc compressor fridges. The cf130 is undoubtedly better insulated than mine, and it's coast guard approved, so a higher price tag. We have tracked 50 to 70 ah used per day with ours. We have managed with 200 watts fixed solar, and 100 watts portable solar, but that required a lot of power management, and occasional use of our generator. We upgraded our fixed solar to 2 x 200, and portable to 200, 2 years ago. Our Elite only has 2 x 105 ah agm batteries, so you can easily do the math... The bigger elite 2 trailers, with 4 battery capacity, will find it much easier to manage power, even with fla or agm batteries. No one at Oliver asked me for a recommendation, but if they had, that cf130 fridge would have been my recommendation. John E Davies had a good point on the cold dump of door openings, but that was even more true with the 3 ways, imo. A number of sailboats have incorporated a slide-out portable unit like he suggested, and I'm sure it's a great idea, but it's still the same concept as digging around in an ice chest. I'm ok with that as a portable freezer someday, but not as my main fridge. I put everything in the same places, every time. I put sandwich supplies in one big ziplock on one shelf, and take it out to make lunch. Meats in a bin. Produce in the slide-out drawer. Everything has a mapped place, so I can find things quickly. The only problem we've had is ice buildup in the smaller freezer. I defrost it every 10 to 14 days, but, remember that we routinely camp in places with higher humidity, and we often camp 6 to 8 weeks at a time. It takes a very short time to defrost, anyway. (Don't use a hair dryer to defrost!) We routinely camp without electricity. Just solar.

@AZ Wonderer, the link you provided is a gas norcold, and quite small. Norcold does make dc danfoss/secop compressor fridges, but I don't think they sell one of an appropriate size (at least 4 cubic ft) that will fit in the spot in the Oliver kitchen.

I saw your post to Dewdev. 107 degrees where you are? Chances are, everyone is running (or trying to run) ac.

Interesting, as I assume most people buy this add-on to connect to weaker, sometimes slower connections. Thanks for all the great reporting.

Glad you've found bits useful in your nest and Ollie. Some very nice ideas! And, thanks for taking the time to do the videos. For those of you who are newer, these ideas pop up over the years. Here's a five page thread from a bit ago. Many others if you use the search button for storage or organization.

That towing capacity and range would be helpful to local contractors, like my nephew and some friends who are still working. (We're retired.) It wouldn't be helpful with an Ollie, for sure. Things will change, as everything evolves.

Glad they could help you. I'm in Florida, so obviously not close to Panther rv, but I still got my parts on a timely basis. Nice folks. Perhaps you could post the appropriate part number for folks in the future? And is lh rh, facing the awning? Those end caps, on every awning, take a lot of abuse. We have had two different awnings. End caps discolored on the first.. We removed and painted, with krylon. We're on our second awning, after many years, and end caps are ok for now.