Ralph Mawyer
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Posts posted by Ralph Mawyer
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On 12/19/2022 at 7:02 PM, SteveCr said:
A slightly less cost approach.......
2021 Elite 2....just completed replacement of my Dometic jet engine with the Truma Aventa Eco.
It was installed by the Lakeland Florida Truma service center.
So far, it seems to work as advertised...no opinion yet using the remote...seems simple. Hot weather performance test pending!!!
For the heater....the Truma installer recommended we keep/use the Dometic AC control box and thermostat vs a mechanical or Emerson digital thermostat.
I used the propane heater while camping this last week. Using the Dometic thermostat was no issue.
Cost = $2,705 walk out price....includes Aventa ECO, Aventa Air Distributor, Condensate drain kit and installation labor. (included tax was 7%)
Steve, I’m guessing yours was the first Oliver Truma did. Mine was going to be the first, but was a failure. We couldn’t get old unit off.
Did they have trouble getting your old unit off or if not, how did they do it?
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11 hours ago, Patriot said:
Any further updates on the progress on removal of your Dometic AC and the install of the Truma?
Patriot
Nothing on my end. Tech said they’ had an inquiry from Florida. I was going to ping him and see if that went through.
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4 hours ago, Trainman said:
I'm suspired that the Casita was not on that list, I owned one before we got our Oliver and it was a great trailer. 99% of Casita owner are very happy with there trailers and would buy again if need be. All being said, great value and return on your money.
trainman
These articles seem to be reworked industry boilerplate. Not sure Casita is a player in the RV mainstream marketing space. They clearly should have probably been #1, on weight and quality alone v
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57 minutes ago, Gliddenwoods said:
Our TV has "dropped" into viewing position when towing. We are interpreting this action as a message that the TV should be in the down position when towing. Those of you with more tow traveling miles agree? Any counters to our conclusion as why not? A few brief replies would be appreciated.
Thanks
Check the nut/bolt hidden in the hinge. Mine kept dropping and found the nut almost fully backed off. Need to remove plastic end cap on hinge.
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Not to be too cynical, but this reads like an industry boilerplate article with a few tweaks, but not enough to reflect what Oliver brings to the table.
...6v batteries
...If you want to add solar panels to your Oliver Travel Trailer, call your nearest store and set up an appointment with our service team. We will get you and your trailer in as soon as possible!
...no mention of Lithium
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Didn’t today, but likely the solution.
I talked to service later in the day. They put two guys on top at the back corner and one inside pushing up. Then peal it back to front. -
3 hours ago, Dena Hill said:
But doable, right? I’ve ridden the million dollar on my Harley and only saw the road then too. Lol!
Easily doable, just look where you want to go, not where you don’t. I was a bit desensitized after doing Black Bear Pass to Telluride with a Land Cruiser group, without the trailer. I was happy Oliver is only 7’ wide.
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Did Ouray to Silverton, but only saw the road.
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Well, the first attempt by Truma to replace the Domestic AC in an Oliver was a big fail...for the simplest of non-Truma reasons.
After we got the interior box removed, along with the mounting bolts, the external unit should have just lifted off.
It would not move, I mean two guys pushing from the external edge and from the inside pushing up.
Called Oliver Service, they said it was mounted with butyl tape and may be tight.
From what we could see the rear had a 1/2" thick rubberized molding piece supporting it. It wasn't butyl. Even using body shop plastic wedges we could get no play in trying to separate the unit from the 'tape' or the tape from the trailer.
We debated taking the AC apart to separate it, but that could have still been a dead end as you really need that piece and whatever is up front to come off the fiberglass and we didn't want to damage the gelcoat by try to cut between the 'tape' and the surface.
So, we put it back together and will see what Truma and Oliver can come up with.
It's possible in my May 2020 delivery cycle they were using something different than butyl tape, because it was locked in.
The unit set in the Alabama sun for its first year, but has been covered the rest of it's storage life..so not sure if sun really made much difference.
Almost like the difference in LocTite Red vs Blue.
If it was in a shop you could use a fork lift to ease the unit up, but you still have the issue of whether the tape will come with it and/or damage the gel coat.
I don't know how often Oliver Service has had to replace an AC on older units, but I'm guessing not many.
If you are having yours done, you'll have to remove the interior hold-down bolts to determine how hard/easy it comes off.
If they can work out a non-destructive way to remove the mounting 'tape', we'll give it another try.
This is an issue, irrespective of whether replacing with a Truma, Houghton or something else.
More to come, I hope....
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On 10/16/2022 at 5:04 PM, topgun2 said:
T & D -
You might want to send a PM to Mike and Carol to ask what they did with theirs. In my opinion, the interior of their Ollie is one of the most tastefully done out there and the quilts/spreads they use seem to fit very nicely.
Bill
I had someone locally who wanted to see how we outfitted our Elite II. I sent them to Mike for a much better design experience. Refined, but not overdone. Guessing more Carol's influence than Mike's, other than 'no clutter please'. 😉
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59 minutes ago, Dorrie Hall said:
I am interested in purchasing an Oliver trailer but first would like feedback on the bed options. My husband is a large guy...6'2", 245 lbs. He thinks the twin option is doable, but I am skeptical. I would appreciate hearing from folks who own the twin option. Do you have a problem with hitting the nightstand and is it roomy enough?
I’m 6’3”, was 245lbs. Depending on your pillow his feet will likely touch the rear wall periodically. Nightstand not issue if feet at that end.
Width isn’t too bad, but there is a wall on one side. 🙂
Works for me and I tend to rotate a lot at night.
In photo, head propped up reading at the moment. About 6” to rear wall
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Overland West is based at a county park and RV camping is in the existing campground. They also have a boondocking camping area which is for tents and small overland trailers. I'm guessing with the corporate buyout a few years ago and the expansion to multiple events, it's just more structured and likely dependent on the facility they rent.
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The touch lights are flakey. Mine over the sink particularly so. You can remove the cover and see if the spring contacts are messed up, but I've not read of any true repair process. I got a few spares from Oliver Service. FWIW, they aren't crazy about them either.
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On 7/11/2022 at 7:03 PM, Steph and Dud B said:
Wow, good catch! I've never seen that before.
I’ve been using that rack for a few years on my Casita and now Oliver. No issues, but rarely loaded beyond 30-60 lbs.
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On 10/1/2022 at 3:26 PM, hobo said:
Ralph, Do you already have the Truma hot water heater? If so, have they explained how they are going to integrate the controls with the existing hot water heater and the thermostat for the propane furnace? Just curious.
I do have the Truma water heater. That doesn't look to be an integration point with the AC.
The furnace has a couple of options from reading other posts on here and some preliminary discussions with the tech on the phone. Didn't seem to be significant issue, e.g., just bypassing AC wires to existing Domestic thermostat or existing lines to new furnace only thermostat. The Truma uses yet another remote for the AC. I think that will be five at last count.
They AC vents to front and rear, with the thermostat in the middle, lower case area. I may have mis-remembered, but I think the Tech said the AC can handle a 30-40F degree differential from ambient which we can easily test in Texas.
I didn't think to ask, but will be interested in how he routes the condensation drain, hopefully plug-n-play with the existing one.
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On 10/1/2022 at 2:41 PM, Mike and Carol said:
Ralph, Truma or Houghton? Can I come over for a sound test? 😃. Mike
Sure, I gather Houghton is quieter, but guessing the Truma will be fine and it will be a done deal. From my discussion with the tech we probably have a few options for dealing with the furnace thermostat, but as John and other have done, not a hard problem to solve. Now if I had service install the full Lithonics package for $16K I'd have a 2023 trailer...which would still be a bargain if I remember the fully loaded price for 2023.
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Austin Service Center is a remote truck as Mike mentioned.
Service Tech is doing mine onsite in three weeks, unless magic happens and he squeezes it in before our upcoming Alpine trip, but looks unlikely.
Anyone want to buy a Dometic as a spare?
😉
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Any idea what the current Dometic model number is and BTU size. Not in the manual.
2020 Elite II
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Unlikely, unless you know someone and steer park. Closest probably RV park near Zilker Park.
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Evolution in action…
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Did the brackets locking the chains to the trailer move?
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Makes the pricing and functionality on the Elite 1 look pretty nice…granted it is lighter.
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Looks like everyone pre-booked E-F-G for next year. Nothing available other than back in B it looks like.
https://www.reservealapark.com/AlabamaWebHome/Facilities/SearchViewUnitAvailabity.aspx
https://olivertraveltrailers.com/events-2/2021-Lake-Guntersville-State-Park-Map.pdf -
I’m just surprised they are still offering the Dometic. Unless you rarely use AC, no reason to go with Dometic and it will impact resale by whatever the upgrade cost ultimately becomes. I bet by the 2024 run all Truma components will be the standard, hot water, furnace and AC.
Once you get over $80-90k, the demographic would suggest the add-on is just a rounding error for discretionary income. Look what Airstreams sell for with much higher volume. The market is there for only 300 trailers a year.
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New Truma Eco A/C retrofit
in General Discussion
Posted
Thanks Steve, the tech and I tried it, but didn’t have a lot of room on top. We really put some muscle into and got no movement at all. We were really afraid we’d damage the gel coat or worse. May 2020 delivery.