Ray and Susan Huff

Wow! And I thought we'd been everywhere there is to see in Nevada. Bucket List!

We stayed at Great Basin on our way home from Utah last year the end of May . . . . beautiful park. Drove in, with no reservation . . . . . a lot of sites open at Lower Lehman CG. I would suggest Upper Lehman CG as it was hard to find a level site at the lower CG. The drive up to Wheeler Peak is beautiful; it was open, but trails were still snow covered and we didn't have snowshoes 😀

I thought the same. My first thought was "yes" to a bigger fridge. But now that I think about it, would a bigger fridge be out of proportion to the compact scale of the Oliver? I find the smaller fridge adequate. Compared to our old 6.7 cu ft Dometic "Demonic" fridge (I hated that fridge) from our Leisure Travel Van, the Oliver Norcold has a bigger freezer and the shelving is more thoughtfully configured. More important, though, is how much more efficient it is. We would have to run the Dometic on the coldest setting all the time to get it anywhere near a safe temperature. I say, keep the small fridge. A bigger fridge would result in loss of valuable cupboard space.

When we purchased our Oliver, I asked for a list of serial and model numbers for all components. When we purchased our previous RV (Leisure Travel Van), we were provided with such a list. At the time of my inquiry, Oliver had no such documentation. Apparently they considered my request important. In addition to serial numbers for warranty claims, it is helpful to have the component model numbers in the event you have to call the vendor for tech support. I think I heard that Oliver now tracks all serial/model numbers of installed components and supplies these at delivery - or at least I think that's how it works. Unfortunately, we are stuck with relying on physical inspection to retrieve this information. Dometic stove top is a case in point; accessing the model number required removal of the stove which should be done by a tech certified in LP installation; reportedly not user servicable.

Thanks for the message "bump" . . . . . yes, the holidays have been busy and I've not been monitoring the forum much . . . . barely keeping up with my email! I'll try to do better. It's been a while since we (my husband) installed the new 3000w inverter. What JD says is most important: disconnect all power sources (Jason outlines what/where to disconnect in the attached instructions). I don't know if it was necessary, but we also disconnected the solar controller. Our 2021 has a cutoff switch in the compartment over the street side bed on the outside of the pantry wall. It's a big red switch; you can't miss it. Oliver Support (Jason) helped us through the entire process, stepping in when Xantrex drug their feet in resolving our issue. Attached are step-by-step instructions, as per Jason. While the task seemed daunting, at first, it really wasn't bad at all; having written guidance made all the difference. Though Oliver offered to walk us through the entire process, via phone, we found the attached instructions very straightforward and easy to follow. My husband has some experience working with electrical things, but we are hardly what you'd call professionals. I'll try to recall a few of the intricacies of our installation and offer tips to avoid the minor problems we did encounter. 1. As you have probably discovered, the inverter is not situated in a way conducive to replacement. 1. Remove mattress and prop open the hatch to allow the best access to the inverter. 2. Our inverter was held in place by 4 screws at each corner, to the inside wall of the bed base. You'll be working upside down and from the street side in a dark hole; make sure you have good lighting. 3. We utilized our phone to inspect and take pictures of the installation prior to removal. 4. IMPORTANT: absolutely lay a cloth, or something on the floor under the inverter to catch any dropped screws; voice of experience, "there will be dropped screws!" The phone camera also comes in handy here. 2. The only other issue I recall encountering was something Jason neglected to mention. Because Xantrex was not willing to send us a new inverter, our replacement inverter came directly off Oliver's shelf. Having not been handled by technicians, it was programmed, as from the factory, with default settings. Once you have the new unit installed and communication established with the remote panel, you will need to go through the programming and adjust it according to your specific installation. I suggest you contact Oliver for the proper seettings. Once the new inverter was installed, everything worked as intended. As for the annoying fan noise, I can't say, difinitively, that the new installation eliminated the constant cycling on and off of the inverter fan while connected to shore power (charging mode), though it does seem to be less annoying than before the replacement - maybe we are just getting used to it! Don't hesitate to ask Oliver tech support for guidance . . . . . you can do this! If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask. Susan Oops! Forgot to attach file: Steps to remove old and install new Xantrex inverter.docx

I agree about the bathroom. . . . . my husband is 6'2" and the Elite II is ok for showering, but barely. Elite would not pass muster for him. I guess you can always shower while sitting on the toilet.

Yes . . . . emptied hot water tank, then bypassed hot water heater in plumbing configuration.

In reviewing the winterization video, I see Oliver drains the hot water heater at the end of the process. Our hot water heater is already drained. I'm hoping this is ok; I don't see why it wouldn't be.

I am happy to hear Oliver is now tracking component serial numbers, as many of them are inacessible after they are installed. When we purchased our prior RV (Leisure Travel Van), we were provided with these numbers. Since our Oliver was built a year ago, they probably don't have those numbers recorded. ☹️

I've posted this previously, but in case you haven't seen it. We use this hitch with our F350 towing an Elite II. Hitch is rated for 7,500#. This will not work if you have the tongue accessory box on the trailer. Only once have we had a radius turn clearance issue, but it is easily solved by folding the rack up (which can be done with the bikes still loaded), or you can take the bikes off the rack and fold it up, if necessary. Bikes stay relatively clean mounted here. Love the 1up rack! They have been back ordered till ????, like many bike related items, but appears they might be available now. https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch-Ball-Mount/Curt/D210.html?feed=npn&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google | Shop - Trailer Hitch Ball Mount&adgroupid=87631909362&campaignid=1672411804&creative=404001588902&device=c&devicemodel=&feeditemid=&keyword=&loc_interest_ms=&loc_physical_ms=9033074&matchtype=&network=g&placement=&position=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlOmLBhCHARIsAGiJg7n_j802euDcIl-x6KSaMrvyZn-hx-pLJJ9H28PEt8ZK0_qMt23ZmSQaAguyEALw_wcB

Most auto parts stores (Napa, etc) or other that sells batteries, can test your batteries to eliminate them as the culprit.

We have solar and feel it is worthwhile. Solar panels charge the battery while traveling, as well as when camped. Our lithium batteries are full by mid morning after small overnight draw down from running the MaxAir fan, charging electronics and the usual phantom amp usage.

Our preference, too. I love seeing the items offered that are not on the shelves in our locale. Actually, with pandemic supply issues, there isn't much on the the shelves in our one and only small town grocery store!

My husband informed me of a design flaw in the Girard awning installation; perhaps this is also true of the Dometic awning installation as well. While cleaning the roof of our 2021 Elite II he noticed a substantial amount of water standing the entire length of the inboard edge of the awning where the rubber gasket meets the roof. A combination of said water and accumulated fir needles/leaves creates a sludge, of sorts - a black slime, that is easily removed, but water only returns the next time it rains. I realize the intent of the rubber moulding between the awning cassette and the roof is two-fold: to reduce vibration and to prevent water from running down the side of the trailer, onto the windows and above the door. Has anyone come up with a design modification? What do you do? I know, clean it, periodically. . . . . . . but it doesn't seem to take any time at all for the black slime to reappear (at least there in the PNW). I wonder if some sort of gutter, tilted slightly to the rear would help. Or is "out of sight, out of mind" the remedy?

Our son and daughter-in-law just installed Starlink at home where they don't have cell reception. She works a lot from home, and they were relying on Hughes Net, which was unbearably slow. They say Starlink is 500% faster. We are going to hold out for our Rural Electric Coop fiber, but it might be a few years before we are connected. As for mobil data, we still rely on cellular for connectivity on the road. Most always we have service around towns and plan our needs accordingly. Sometimes it's a pain, but that's life!