Ray and Susan Huff

I got the impression, when I was addressing the 20 code, back in April (following December delivery), that the inability to update the firmware was not yet known - both Oliver and Xantrex expected the firmware update to solve the problem. Which it did, but not in all cases. Perhaps if I had pursued the issue sooner, it could have been addressed differently. Oliver has sent us a replacement inverter from their stock. I don't know if they tested it first, but the 20 error code has not repeated. I'm curious to know if there are un-Oliver installations of the XC Pro inverter that are also experiencing the bad communication board defect.

Are you aware that the inverter still functions? You just can't control or monitor it from the remote display. If you access the inverter under the street side bed, you can turn it on/off, monitor power, etc. It functions the same as the remote panel, except you have to struggle to get under the bed and stand on your head or use mirrors to read the display. If you need inverted power, turn it on and leave it. Otherwise, it can remain turned off.

I wonder how many of these inverters with bad communication boards are still out there? If it caused a safety issue, there would be a recall, but since it doesn't, I guess it's wait and see. Bottom line: Xantrex should be testing their inverters more thoroughly, since it is obviously a manufacturing defect. When Oliver installs components, they assume they are not defective; on initial use, our inverter appeared to be functioning properly. The invert/charge functions were not affected.

Well said 😊

Adding to other comments: The current market for RVs has prompted manufacturers to increase production in order to meet demand, Oliver not withstanding. Conventional mass produced stick built RVs are being pushed out to dealers at historical rates. Added to the already shoddy construction, little to no quality control/customer service, and inflated prices, this is disaster waiting to happen. Oliver, on the other hand, went into the pandemic with outstanding customer service and quality. To meet demand, yet maintain service/quality and their reputation for being trailers "built to last a lifetime", they have adapted to the market with production adjustments. They now offer fewer options and have phased out personal customizations, placing priority on maintaining quality standards and customer service. When you purchase an Oliver Trailer, you are buying directly from the "Oliver Family" whose goal has always been to build a better RV and stand behind their product. Most other brands are owned by an RV conglomerate, then pushed out to dealerships across the country. With Oliver you deal only with the front end people; others, with a dealer that, now more than ever, doesn't care about you after the sale. Oliver has certainly faced some challenges during this crazy RV market, but they are giving their best to not compromise the Oliver reputation. Think about this: Brand X is priced at $35,000. Deduct from this the overhead of a complex chain of production, including sales commissions. How much of those $$$$ do you think are actually going into materials and labor? Additionally, in a less volatile market, those prices were often discounted to promote sales and support the bottom line. Comparatively, Oliver's overhead is not inflated by a complex business model. You will get what you pay for with an Oliver; others brands, I'd guess you won't. Lastly - In a few years, after the pandemic surge in RV subsides, we all know there is going to be a glut in the used RV market. Aside from depressed values driven by high supply/low demand, poorly built trailers will be worth a small fraction of what they sold for. As in the past, used Olivers should hold their value. Though more Olivers have been sold than ever before, the supply will be nothing compared to that of other brands and when the market returns to normal, there will still be a demand for high quality trailers. Of course Oliver trailers do have downsides: 1. The wait. In an instant gratification world, most buyers want an RV and they want it now. Add to this pressure from dealer salespersons. Don't let this influence your decision. If you have long term RV goals, and finances are not restrictive, endure the wait. You know the adage - "Good things come to those who wait". 2. Limited floor plans. The Elite is definitely a two-person trailer; Elite II can comfortably accommodate three. Families do make them work, but for the most part Oliver trailers are not designed with families in mind. In my opinion, between R-Pod and Oliver, the best choice is hands-down Oliver. We took possession of our Elite II, hull #699, on December 7, 2020; thus the name "Pearl". I am still in awe of the amazing quality. Storage is more than adequate and well organized. Every element is designed for function and easy maintenance. Most importantly, despite the increase in production (they are now scheduling builds of hulls #1000+), Oliver has provided excellent customer support. And, as an added bonus, you gain the knowledge and support of the Oliver Forum and its amazing members. Wishing you the best. Susan

Each component should have a service tag with this info. With today's technology, there could even be a bar code which can be scanned into a data base. It is not always convenient to access this information when some of the components are buried inside the hull. We had warranty work done on the cooktop and the service center had to remove the stove to get the necessary numbers. I'm disappointed that Oliver doesn't consider this important and provide this information to customers purchasing a high price RV.

We were not provided numbers, either. When I asked, Oliver told me they do not keep a record and that the only component requiring a serial number for warranty is the Dometic AC. Wrong. . . . . Dometic reuired a serial number for warranty on the cooktop; stove has to be removed to access the service sticker. Anytime I have called a vendor regarding service or warranty (RV related and other) the first thing they want is the model and serial#. The seria# tells the manufacturer a lot about the component. Those ordering now should ask in advance of production. I don't think this is too much as ask for a $70K trailer. Perhaps Oliver will decide this is important.

Is anyone here going to be at the Bullards State Park in Bandon Oregon for the (generic) Fiberglass Rally? We plan to go, not to camp since we live less than an hour away, but out of curiosity . . . . 😏

When we purchased a new Leisure Travel Van a few years ago, it came with a list of model numbers, serial numbers, and support contact information for all components. These were compiled as the RV was being built. When I asked Oliver about this, they said they do not keep a record of these. Too bad, since some of the components are "buried" where you can't get to the service tag.

Once installed, make sure you check the inverter programming and make sure it matches your battery/power configuration. Ours arrived with program defaults which were not appropriate for our Lithium batteries. Jason supplied us with the proper programming codes.

Xantrex spent a lot of time on the phone with me trouble shooting our problem, but didn't offer to send us a new inverter. Oliver suggested the same and tried for a week but got no response from Xantrex. At that point, Jason said we'd already been without the inverter long enough and sent us a new one. I looked back at my emails and service ticket (85 responses!). The 20 code was identified the first part of April. Mid April, after we made several unsuccessful attempts to install the firmware, Oliver directed us to contact Xantrex support. After several weeks of monitoring and trying to troubleshoot the problem over the phone, Xantrex decided our inverter had a bad communication board. Mid-May they requested us to send the inverter in for repair, with a minimum estimated turn-around of two weeks. When I shared this with Jason, he said that wasn't acceptable. For a week he attempted to contact Xantrex to request they send us a new inverter, but could not get an answer. Frustrated, he decided to simply send one from the Oliver plant. Since we were leaving for Utah, he deferred shipment to arrive after our return. June 9 we had the new inverter installed. One note for anyone doing the installation: The inverter came programmed with default settings; we had to change some settings to be appropriate for our battery and power configuration. Jason sent me the proper settings.

You must have an iphone lol We have a cheap folding travel mirror I got at a yard sale. Folds flat and takes up little space. We've used it several times now 😏

Tip: If I remember correctly, I located the sticker using a mirror, then put the phone on selfie mode which put the screen facing up so I could tell if the lens was picking up the serial number.

Our delivery was Dec 7 and we weren't told of any problem. I do know that when Oliver discovered there was a problem and told Xantrex about the 20 error, Xantrex programmers had to do some work to get the firmware update to Oliver. That may have taken some time. I'm afraid to look and see what firmware our new inverter has. It's working fine, so I'll be the proverbial ostrich with my head in the sand 😏

Don't feel bad about the hitch . . . . . we were one of "those" too. Good think Tractor Supply is close. What is your pickup? . . . . . F150 or 250?

Thanks . . . . I hope the wildfire situation doesn't get worse, but it is so early in the season, I expect it will be a long time before fires subside. It saddens me to see the devastation to our beautiful resources. We use the GAIA wildfire layer as well as inciweb. I will check out Windy.com Fortunately, neither of us has smoke sensitivities, although any excessive smoke isn't good for the lungs. We hope to do a bit of traveling in Sept/October; we'll just have to monitor and pick the best time and place. With so many variables - mosquitos (which I am allergic to), overflowing campgrounds, fires, and weather, just to name a few, enjoying RV life has become more and more of a challenge. I want the "old days" back.

We had the exact same issue with our 3000w Xantrex inverter (hull #699); apparently ours came from the same mold as yours 😏 There must have been a batch of bad components when ours were assembled - namely the communication board. Here is our story: The inverter/remote panel functioned fine the first couple of days, while we were still in Tennessee. The "20" code did not pop up until we were headed West for home (of course!). When we returned home, we read posts and decided we needed to update the firmware; Oliver concurred and Jason emailed use the update file. After multiple attempts to install the update, and phone support with Oliver, they ran out of ideas at which point Jason suggested we contact Xantrex. This was back in March, I believe. At any rate, Xantrex was not inundated with support requests at the time. They spent a lot of time on the phone with me trying to get to the bottom of the issue - multiple reboots, checking communication cables and connections, etc. They finally decided the inverter had a bad communication board; inverter/charger itself works fine and the display on the inverter was functioning. Using it without the remote panel, wasn't an acceptable option, since it it hard to get to the inverter and even harder to see to display to monitor power. At that time, Xantrex wanted us to send the inverter in for repair, estimating a 2 week turnaround. I called Oliver because that would put us without power for a long period of time. Jason tried to convince Xantrex to send us a new inverter, but they declined that option. Thus, Oliver stepped in and sent us a new one from their stock and instructions on how to install. We then returned the defective unit. I will say, the bad inverter was no fault of Oliver since it worked when we took delivery and they were not yet aware of the "20" code problem. The installation was easy, though removing the attaching screws was a bit tricky (I suggest you put something on the "floor" under the inverter in the event one of the screws is dropped; the voice of experience speaking). Oliver offered to walk us through the install, but I had them email written instructions and, being it was pretty straightforward, we attempted it on our own and had success. Kudos to Oliver, for going above and beyond to keep us on the road. We had another component warranty problem with the Dometic stove; On a trip to Utah, one of the burners detached from the stove. We had to take it to a Dometic Service Center (2 1/2 hr drive, one way from home), for them to diagnose. They determined they were unable to repair the stove and would have to submit a request for replacement under warranty. The service center kept us posted, but were not getting a prompt response from Dometic, which is to be expected with current demands. All the while, Jason and I kept in touch with the situation (I had submitted a service ticket). Last week, the service center called and wanted us to bring the trailer back in because they needed more pictures for the warranty submission. They tried to tell me Oliver was requesting the pictures, which was not true; I asked and Jason had not contacted them about this. So, I expect someone in the Dometic Service Center didn't get or send the necessary pics. I was a bit abrupt with them - expecting us to return, only to have the stove taken out again for inspection, then have to return again (who knows when) to have a replacement installed. I don't know if this is Dometic's way to get you to give up and just buy a new stove (if you can find one) or simply an honest mistake. At any rate, they said they could fit us in to get it taken care of. At this point, Jason stepped up and said he was certain Dometic would (eventually) honor the warranty, but knew they were taking a long while to processes warranties. However, making multiple trips back and forth to Medford and being without a stove was not acceptable. As we speak, a new stove is on the way from Oliver. Jason spoke with the Dometic Service Center, telling them he was sending us a new stove. And, since they had already planned to remove the defective stove and put it back in, he expected them to do the installation at that time. Oliver is covering the cost and will process the warranty for reimbursement at their end. If you need to know more about the inverter install, I might be able to locate my notes 😇

Off topic (sorry), but how are the smoke conditions in W Montana right now? We are planning a trip up through E Washington, then south through Montana and Idaho later this summer.

My husband would like to trade our 2013 F350 long-bed CC for a 250 with a shorter bed. What size bed does yours have? How does the Elite II tow with it? Fuel consumption? Our biggest hesitation is letting go of our trouble free pickup which has fewer electronic components than newer models. We purchased it new to tow a 30' fifth wheel, and as a ranch workhorse. Now it's a bit overkill for the Elite II and we've pretty much "retired" from ranching. It's just so dang long . . . . . . especially with a trailer in tow!

We have the 1UP and love it! Extremely well built (in USA); quick and easy to load/unload. It folds up, when not in use and drops down, with our without bikes loaded, so you can access the tailgate or back of an SUV. The trays easily accommodate off-road tires up to 3.1" wide and my 29" Specialized Rock Hopper wheels; there are accessories to modify it for wider tires. You can add up to two additional trays, though this would not work while towing the Ollie. They also sell roof rack trays and trays for mounting in pickup bed or cargo area of vans/SUVs. This is one of few racks we found that is approved for use behind an RV - we originally purchased it for our Leisure Travel Van. Unfortunately, with the Pandemic surge in outdoor recreation equipment, there is a waiting list for these racks.

I agree with keeping the floor to ceiling areas at the front. Our previous RV, a Leisure Travel Van Twin Bed, had a similar layout in the same amount of space, but the closets and bathroom were in the middle, thus cutting the visual space in 1/2. The openness was the first thing I noticed when I stepped into an Elite II for the first time, even though the LTV was a bit wider. For the shower, I'd be happy with just a shower curtain . . . . . no shower door to clean and maintain; curtains can be taken easily laundered and even replaced for a "new look".

We would also like to see a West Rally. Finding a site will be a challenge during these crazy days of RV-mania. Hoping to see some semblance of the old RV life where campsites don't have to be reserved months in advance.

I think the increase in lumber prices is more the result of the huge number of homes destroyed in the recent devastating wildfires, especially those in 2020. On the other hand, there is an increase in the timber supply as, here in Oregon, logs are now being salvaged from those fires. We regularly see log trucks on the roads carrying three log loads - something we haven't seen in a long time. Sadly, there are few mills remaining that can process these large logs into lumber. We are fortunate to have one right in our community. We experienced the same jump in construction materials cost when our home was built shortly after hurricane Katrina. On the other hand, our house framing and interior trim is tight grain, old growth Douglas Fir and the exterior beams and trim old growth Port Orford Cedar - both salvaged from Oregon's 2002 Biscuit Fire.

I shopped around and found an in the bed locking tool box that is deep enough for the Honda 2200 generator we chose. In addition to the generator, it carries: a small tank of gasoline, small, portable LP tank (for an outside two burner stove and gas grill), the aforementioned gas grill, tools, bike tool box, folding camp table - items you like to keep secure and out of the weather. It is deep enough to accommodate the generator and has tons of room for more "stuff". We did not get the tongue accessory box because it would interfere with our bike rack that attaches to the pickup with a dual receiver hitch; the box would prohibit most turning situations. Storage box Ball mount hitch with accessory receiver

Congratulations! I'm glad delivery is behind us. It was the longest road trip we have taken in recent years - over 5,000 miles. And not much sightseeing since we wanted to be home for family birthdays and Christmas. It took us 8 days from SW Oregon to Hohenwald, with not too long of driving days (6-7 hrs max) and a day to spare once we got to Tennessee. We allowed extra time in the event we encountered bad weather (delivery day was Dec 7) . . . . . took I-80 across to Nebraska, then south through Kansas and east through S. Missouri to Tennessee. We were fortunate to have acceptable weather all the way. Very little traffic, but then we avoided St. Louis, Kansas City, and Memphis. I-40 was our trip home, making it in 6 days. We drove a few longer days in order to avoid a storm coming in to N. Arizona/New Mexico/Texas. Temps were cold in the higher desert areas, but above freezing during the day. We had a bit of snow on I-5 between Shasta and Ashland, but that was it. I spent a fair amount of time the 30 days prior to departure, monitoring the weather and looking at weather history for that time of year along various routes. Our original delivery date was Feb 3, but Oliver offered us the earlier Dec delivery. So thankful, as the first part of Feb there was a huge snow across the Central Plains and into Texas. Whew! Dodged that bullet! You could easily do the trip from your place in 5 hours, each way. But you want to allow at least a couple of days to stay close to Hohenwald for a shakedown - So nearly two weeks. BTW: the total cost of our trip out and back (hotels, fuel, and campsites) was just under $2,000, driving an F350 SD diesel crew cab (16-18mpg/12-14 towing). We took along all of our meals (only eating out twice) so I didn't count food as an expense. I put together a large "duffle kitchen" (induction burner, electric tea kettle, pots/pans, cooler (didn't have to replenish ice once since it was cold all the way out). Booked hotels with fridge/microwave and most had some semblance of breakfast. Once there, we bought food for the trip home. Worked well, especially since Covid had most restaurants shut down or take out only. Fast food for a week would be more than I could stand 😜 Assuming you drive to delivery: I see you have a crew cab, which is good. It took the backseat and a pickup bed tool box to carry everything we "needed" for the Ollie! And, don't forget to take several gal of antifreeze (or purchase there for the trip home) in case you have to winterize on the return trip. We choose not to have the trailer winterized at delivery because we wanted to test all the systems - water, water heater, shower, dumping/filling tanks, etc. Our backseat loaded for the trip to Hohenwald: