Carl Hansen

Greetings! I am wondering if I should invest in an external EMS system to test the electrical outlet at the pedestal before I plug in or is the onboard surge suppression (EMS) enough to protect the trailer? The pedestal testers are quite expensive but I will invest if it is the right thing to do. What is the guidance of the forum? Thanks! Carl

Congratulations on your new Elite I. I am very excited and happy for you... but I must admit also being a bit jealous. We have ordered our Elite I but will not take delivery on it until October!!! Yikes!!! Keep your stories and pictures coming. Some of us are living vicariously through you new experiences. Along with many others, I encourage you to take a deep breath, take your time, never be in a hurry and enjoy every new thing you learn about about your new trailer. Oh... and don't forget to laugh a lot along the way. You do have a large following here that are rooting for you so you are never alone. I've already learned so much from the members of this forum, all of which have been very helpful. Something else I would recommend is to check out the Oliver University online. They have a ton of great information and videos on each of the systems in your trailer. I have watched almost all of them and they have been a great source of information. Don't forget to savor each new day you have with your new Olie! We are all here cheering you on! You can do this! Carl

I’m looking for the dimensions of the upper cabinets and the drawers. I would like to plan a storage system for the Elite. Please don’t spend too much time on measurements. I was hoping for a simple solution. carl

Is there a measurement index for the ELITE I? I can’t seem to locate one. Carl

Thanks John! I don't plan on pulling the Oliver on anything but graded forest roads, nothing severe at all. When boondocking, I plan on using the trailer as a base camp and taking the Jeep Gladiator out, without the trailer attached, on more rugged terrain. Carl

New information... (at least for me) As I am digging into this a bit further, I just learned that the 30A receptacle on Honda Companion is not an RV plug but a twist-lock plug. You will still need an adapter to plug your RV plug into the 30A receptacle. According to ADKCamper, "The 30A receptacle on the companion model is a 3-prong twist lock (L5-30R), whereas the standard shore power cord terminates with the RV-specific 3-prong straight-bladed plug, aka TT-30P. While electrically compatible (125V/30A max, hot/neutral/ground connection), the two connectors are not physically compatible. You will need a separate adapter to plug the standard Ollie shore power cord into either the Honda companion model 30A receptacle or the 15A receptacle. The 30A receptacle is not protected by the small 20A push-button breaker on the front of the generator. In an overload situation, the inverter will shutdown and trigger the "overload" LED. You may have to shutdown and restart the generator to get the inverter to reset (vs pushing the 20A breaker button back in if you were using the 15A receptacle when the overload occurred). So bottom line it doesn't really matter, pending your opinions on (1) which adapter you would prefer to use, (2) the 20A breaker vs the inverter overload mechanism, and (3) whether you think you might in the future have occasion to either borrow or purchase a 2nd generator, and which configuration that 2nd generator is likely to be..." Thanks to Tom (ADKCamper) for his insight! If you carefully read the Honda powerequipment.com website, they mention the need of an adapter... "The EU2200i Companion offers one 30A receptacle for RV applications (requires optional adaptor) and one 20A receptacle. The 30A receptacle allows 2 EU2200i models to be run in parallel by way of a simple parallel cord and not an external parallel kit." I learn something new every day! Carl

"So, can the companion model be used alone?" Yes, you can run the Companion (Honda EU2200ic) stand-alone. The advantage to that is you don't need an adapter plug to attach to your trailer. Either unit can be run stand-alone. To get the full 30 amp service though you must have the standard and the companion product connected and running together. If you have the easy start option on your air conditioner I believe you can get by with a single generator. If you want to run the A/C, microwave, and hair dryer at the same time, you will need both units. I imagine that for 95% of the time, a single unit would be sufficient.

Thanks to all for your thoughts and responses. It is much appreciated. I have already learned so much from this forum. A bit of good news! I made the initial down-payment to lock in our delivery date. Mid October is a long way away but I am still very excited. To bring this thread to a close, I have decided to include the Andersen in my configuration. Since I want to take the Oliver off-road on logging roads and appropriate backroads as well as many mountains passes, I believe the Andersen will give me an additional level of "insurance" to ensure proper weight distribution over these types of roads. Thanks again for all your help! Carl

Greetings! This a common misconception about the Jeep Gladiator. There are multiple references about the Jeep Gladiator having components from the RAM truck. I thought I would share some references here to help clarify. From Cars.com Not Just Some Wrangler With a Bed "Yes, the Gladiator looks like a four-door Wrangler Unlimited with a cargo bed slapped onto the rear end. However, Jeep likes to point out that there is more than meets the eye. Compared with the Wrangler, the Gladiator rides on a longer wheelbase, has added structural reinforcements to boost towing capacity, and has a rear suspension that shares many components with the full-size Ram 1500 pickup truck. Even those traditional Jeep front grille slats are wider than what you find in the Wrangler in an effort to aid with engine cooling." From JeepGladiatorForum.com Rear Suspension Heavily Ram 1500-Inspired It’s immediately clear that the rear suspension setup revealed on this Jeep Gladiator prototype has nothing to do with the JL Wrangler, with a design heavily influenced by the Ram 1500 for handling proper pickup truck duty. The design and component placement looks to be nearly identical between the Ram 1500 and the JT Gladiator, which should calm any fears that Jeep’s upcoming pickup truck will just be a warmed over JL Wrangler with a pickup bed. JT Gladiator Suspension (w/ Coil Springs) Analyzed The Gladiator prototype’s rear design shows healthy control arms along with a panhard rod, and a rear stabilizer bar that leads into stab (or sway) bar end links, just as we see on the Ram 1500. We also see hints of the JT's coil springs (as on the Ram) with no sign of leaf springs. The JT's shock absorber placement also appears to mimic the Ram’s design. A Mix of Wrangler & Ram 1500 DNA It’s interesting to see the path Jeep engineers have taken in transitioning the Wrangler-flavored offering for pickup truck duty. While there’s still plenty of Wrangler DNA to be found in the JT, it’s now abundantly clear that the Gladiator will have a healthy dose of Ram DNA throughout its undercarriage. It likely streamlines the development of the new truck with cost benefits in sharing similar components and engineering solutions that have already been worked out on the coil-sprung Ram trucks. From AdventruaChryslerJeepDogeRam.com Jeep Plus Ram Equals the 2020 Gladiator It’s a mashup of one of the most off-roading capable Jeep vehicles and, well, why don’t we just say it? It’s like Ram and Jeep had an affair, and the Gladiator is their automobile spawn. Plus, there’s just so much to love, because the Jeep Gladiator has the best of both worlds, with Jeep as the dominant genes in this pairing. It is under the Jeep badge name, it’s produced by Jeep manufacturing plants, but the Gladiator also shared a room with the new Ram midsize pickup truck sharing the same body-on-frame design. I hope this helps. Carl

The Jeep GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) for the front axle is 3100 LB. The Jeep GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) for the rear axle is 3750 LB. The GVW for the Jeep is 7,000 lbs. The Jeep Gladiator has inherited the RAM 1500 truck frame, brakes and suspension so I feel it can handle the Elite I without much problem. I believe the towing margins for the Elite II are too narrow. It might be able to pull it but I believe it will put too much strain on the Jeep. My real concern at this point is whether or not I can pull the Elite I without an Andersen hitch. I guess the hitch would add additional security but I it would be nice to save $800. Carl

We are still trying to procure a Yamaha 2200i generator for our 2021 Elite II. We prefer the Yamaha over Honda mostly for the fact that it has a 30amp plug; Honda does not. Greetings! I have been doing a good deal of research on generators lately and I have discovered that Honda does make the EU2200ic that does have the 30 amp plug. The”c” in the product code stands for “companion”. To get the full 30 amps of power you have to purchase the standard EU2200i and link them together. But you can purchase the “companion” version buy itself and run it standalone. This what I plan on doing. The other option is to purchase the standard EU2200i and add a 30amp adapter plug. Many people will use this option as well. I understand the Honda runs quieter than the Yamaha but Yamaha makes a great product as well. Carl

Greetings! I am a "soon" to be owner of an Elite I. (My booking will be in mid October, 2021) My tow vehicle is be a 2020 Jeep Gladiator with a tow rating of 7,000 lbs. I feel confident that it can do the job with some margin. I have been lurking around this forum for some time, learning all that I can. You owners are a wealth of information and are very generous with your time. This is my very first post. I just met another Elite I owner tonight and he assured me that an Andersen WDH is not necessary for my setup. I was planning on purchasing the Andersen hitch but wanted to tap into your experience and get your opinion. Wisdom dictates that I should use the Andersen but what do you think. I am still leaning towards the Andersen. Thoughts? Carl