Steve and MA
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Posts posted by Steve and MA
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Just pointing out that Oliver doesn't consider the rear jacks to be for leveling. Of course, like everyone else, we use the front jack to level front to back. We then make minor side to side adjustments with the rear jacks after initially using ramp levelers when needed. It's not a question of the load that the jacks can handle. Using the rear jacks to level side to side enough to raise the wheels off the ground can be dangerous since the wheel chocks on that side could be rendered ineffective. Due to the potential liability, it's probably not wise for Oliver or their dealers to use the term "leveling" jacks.
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Nice video production. There are at least 3 inaccurate comments during the tour. First, the "battery" cut off switch inside is actually a disconnect for the solar panels. She also mentions the wheels are 16", but 2024's come with 15" wheel & tires. Finally, she says the rear stabilizer jacks can be used to level the trailer. Unless something's changed, that's not something Oliver recommends. Thanks for posting.
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We've considered a tilt modification on our 2022 LE2 but decided it's not worth the hassle for our type of camping. 4 Way Solar has a guide discussing the pros/cons for a RV roof panel tilt system. You might be able to set up a similar system to work on an Oliver. Their design is simple, but you'd still need an easy way to reach the roof brackets to tilt the panels.
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We’ve had a few small scratches on the inside of our cabinet doors from the cabinet contents rubbing against the door, so we installed a clear self-adhesive removable protective film on the backs of the cabinet doors. This prevents future damage and didn’t change the appearance of the doors.
When shopping shelf liners and static cling window decals we also found there were lots of products that might work to both protect the inner side of the cabinet door and give them a different look. We went a step further and added a patterned static cling vinyl as well. The textured static cling vinyl we used didn't stick well directly to the cabinet doors, but it clings to the shelf liner. Time and seasons will tell how well it sticks.
There are so many products available, some with bright colors and patterns and some more subtle. Since it was just installed this week we can’t speak to its durability, so we're not offering specific product recommendations. Your tastes are probably different than ours anyway. A self-adhesive liner with color or pattern could be used as a single layer if you find something you like.
The vinyl material is easy to apply when the hardware is removed with the doors are laid on a flat clean work surface. We went for a subtle change to the original look, but we might do something with color in the future.
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The 16x6 wheels that came on late model trailers like our '22 LE2 have steel inserts pressed into the lug nut wells. Should it matter whether the lug nuts are acorn or bulge acorn? It seems either type would be fine for wheels that have steel inserts.
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18 hours ago, John Welte said:
Steve,
Did you use alligator clips on the battery terminals?
John
Our TST repeater came with ring terminals already crimped on, so we bolted them directly to the battery terminals, arranged so they're not between the battery terminal and the 4/0 cables the bolts hold down. We don't want the ring terminals to conduct current between the battery and the inverter/charger.
This thread got me curious, so I looked up TST's repeater instructions online, which doesn't mention mounting the repeater close to the wheels. I was certain I was following this direction when I installed it, so I found the original documents that came with the kit. There's a separate card describing the preferred mounting location as "FOR BEST RESULTS MOUNT IN BATTERY BOX CLOSEST TO THE WHEELS". I suppose the battery box is on the tongue of most trailers, so "closest to wheels" was probably meant to avoid mounting where the battery shields the repeater from the sensors. Of course, for our trailers the battery box is close to the wheels. It works fine.
Steve
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On 10/3/2023 at 8:29 AM, John Welte said:
How is the booster installed? I haven't installed it yet. Any directions for doing that? TST phone number?
John
As I recall, the instructions that came with my TST kit recommended installing the booster near the sensors and to connect directly to the battery. We installed ours in the battery compartment. It's about as close to the sensors as you can get, and there's no need to route the wires through the hull or under the frame. It's not a switched connection, but if you're worried about draining the batteries you can just remove the 2 amp fuse for storage.
Steve
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Anyone else camping at Reno Stead Airport for the (alas, last) National Championship Air Races in Reno NV? We set up camp yesterday. We've been coming here for the past 15 years, but this is our first and last opportunity to camp out for the event in our OE2. If you're attending and would like to connect, we're in the RV West Lot. We're here in support of our team "Cruze Missle" race #10 and owner/pilot Tim Slater who's flying a Glassair SH-312 in the sport class.
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On 6/8/2023 at 8:06 AM, VBistro said:
Very nice. We’re considering starlink since we are usually camped in places without much cell coverage, but we almost never have shore power. I’m hoping that starlink eventually has a 12v option. We have plenty of solar/battery to run the inverter…I just don’t like to. Specifically, I don’t like having to remember to turn it off at night. 🙂
It's odd that even Starlink Mobility (originally marketed as Starlink for RV) doesn't have a factory 12v DC option. The aftermarket has it covered though. The Everlanders YouTube channel shows some ways to convert Starlink 120v AC power supply to run on 12v DC without using an inverter. The easiest would be to purchase a Dishy Dualie DC Power Supply from Boondocker and then use your own 12v DC router instead of the Starlink unit. Converting the Starlink router to 12v requires opening the case and soldering connections.
We plan to convert our Starlink to 12v DC power, and to flat mount the dish on our tow vehicle. We'll park the TV close enough to the trailer for the WiFi to connect. No setup required except parking the TV where it has a clear view of the sky. We haven't yet done this conversion, but we'll post again when there's something to report.
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On 4/29/2023 at 4:19 PM, Katjo said:
We love to play games both inside and outside when we camp. What are some of your camping favorite games? Card games? Board games?
This is a new one we bought for this year called Skittle Scatter.
GoSports Skittle Scatter Numbered Block Toss Game with Scoreboard and Tote Bag - Fun Outdoor Game for All Ages https://a.co/d/6ThrDoO
At the Circuit of the Americas Formula 1 race in 2019 we were camped next to a group from Finland. They were playing a game called MoLLKY throughout the weekend. It appears to be the same game as Skittle Scatter. They were a fun group. Finns are supposed to be the happiest people in the world. If most are like our neighbors, it's no wonder. They were drinking vodka with breakfast and chain- smoking cigarettes like there's no tomorrow. They had reason to celebrate. Their Finnish driver, Valtteri Bottas, won the race for the Mercedes team that weekend.
We were in a friend's diesel pusher and had a cornhole game on board. With the limited storage on the Olivers, the MoLLKY/Skittle Scatter game is a lot easier to pack. We have one too.
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If it has the original tires from 2016, then they're 7 years old. Search online for "RV and trailer tire maximum age" and you'll find opinions vary widely, but 5-6 years seems to be the most common recommendation. Consider replacing them, even if they have plenty of tread.
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8 hours ago, Bill and Nancy said:
John we have a GMC Diesel Canyon it was very easy to tow no problem at all. Altho I do find the mirrors a little small especially vertical, its hard to see the curb and side of the trailer at the same time I constantly re adjust them while backing up. I was wondering what back up camera do you have is it the one offered by Oliver?
Thanks Bill
Bill, we have a Canyon too. Even before we owned our OE2, we replaced our mirrors with a pair from Clearview Mirrors USA. They're a huge improvement over the original GMC mirrors, whether you're towing or not.
Steve
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On 10/24/2022 at 11:52 PM, Margaret said:
Hi all,
Anyone have an idea why my gas furnace can’t catch up to set point (I.e. temperature set on thermostat)? It blows out warm air, but struggles, and ultimately, the ambient temperature gets colder and colder.
I should add that I had a distinct leak. I smelled gas, and the furnace worked as long as I had gas in the tank, but after about four or five days, the furnace would sputter (and have trouble catching up), the stove would die, and I would have to refill my tanks. I also got brand new tanks, just in case.
The RV repair guy claims to have fixed the leak (I will know in a few days) by replacing the hoses in the nose where the propane tanks are located, but now the furnace, though it blows warm air, is unable to catch up to thermostat. It gets colder and colder inside.
I told the repair guy, and he said he would be back to fix it, but well, you know how that goes. He isn’t answering the phone or his texts. I realize he is swamped with work orders, and his truck has mechanical issues, but that means I have to rely on space heaters that are expensive, and that also don’t adequately heat the space.
Thanks, Margaret
How cold was it outside? When you replaced/refilled the propane tank was it completely empty? Just a thought, but if the furnace performed adequately on a full tank but sputtered before it was empty, then it could be that the tank is losing pressure as the propane vaporizes. Vaporization causes liquid propane to drop below ambient temperature. The liquid propane temperature would fall more on a tank near empty than when full. The colder the liquid propane, the lower its vapor pressure. It could be that as a tank's liquid volume falls, the propane can't vaporize fast enough to keep up with the demand of the furnace.
I'm not an engineer, so I could be misinterpreting the information on this web page. Propane Information – Flame Engineering It suggests to me that 10 lb of propane (a half-full 20 lb tank) would vaporize 38,000 btu of propane at 20° F. That seems marginal for a 40,000 btu furnace.
Real world experience: Last February we went on a weekend trip in Junction TX. Nighttime temperatures were in the mid 20's. I only had the valve open on one of my 30 lb tanks. Around 3 or 4 AM it was getting cold in the trailer; the furnace had stopped running. I switched tanks and was able to restart the furnace. Later, when I had the tank refilled, it only took 26 lbs to fill it. Either the rating is off, or there was still 4 lbs in the tank. It seems reasonable to me that the liquid in the tank had become too cold to vaporize, at least not fast enough to run the furnace.
We're planning to visit our daughter in Durango CO for Thanksgiving and expect to encounter nighttime temperatures in the 20s, or even teens. We'll see how well the furnace does at 6500' in freezing temperatures.
Steve
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Ralph, do you know whether the Truma can use Oliver's internal condensate drain? This link to the operating instructions suggests that it can be done. Please let us know.
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If you preorder your Tundar today it should come in by April 1.
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You can run the AC on battery power, but the solar panels can't recharge them as fast as the AC drains them. Don't expect to run the AC continuously on solar and battery alone.
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Assuming no power losses when using an inverter or charger, wouldn't a 1000 watt generator producing 8 amps at 120 volts be able to charge a 12 volt battery at 80 amps?
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Ours was made (assembled) in Mexico. The duct is connected between the inner and outer pieces of the AC. It's connected by the installer, not the Dometic factory. However, I wouldn't be quick to blame the Oliver installation. Before disassembly I had been taking measurements of the noise levels, including with all vents closed. This could have caused the duct to be blown off the flange.
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This weekend I thought I’d peek inside the Dometic AC ceiling distribution box in my 2022 EII with the idea of looking for a way to quiet it down. I did line it with Noico 80 mil butyl mat. Noise was only reduced by 1-2 dB, so hardly worth the effort, and any improvement by the mat is difficult to assess because of another issue that I corrected.
After removing the distribution box, I found that the duct between the fan and the box wasn’t connected. The duct is a mylar tube wrapped with a wire coil. It’s supposed to be attached at the top with a zip tie around the flange by the fan. It's held in place by a grate at the bottom. In my case, the zip tie and duct were not completely wrapped around the flange.
Though plenty of air seemed to be coming out of the five vents of the box, the gap was large enough that a good portion of the cold air must also have been redirected right back into the intake. It’s not easy working in the tight space, but I was able to reattach the duct. Hopefully it will remain connected. If you think you’re not getting enough air volume from the vents, then this may be worth looking at. I imagine this could affect the frequency that the compressor cycles, and possibly cause the evaporator to freeze over, but I hadn’t had these issues.
I’ve attached pictures of the disconnected duct, as well as a picture from Dometic showing the locations of the eight screws that hold the box to the ceiling. The zip tie in the pictures is exactly like I found it.
Steve
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These Rhino Fitting Wrenches (camco.net) work for us.
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We have the Parkit360 Force 10K and use it to pull the hitch end of our LE2 into a corner. A front receiver would be no help since we pull the hitch to within about 6 feet from a wall. Speaking of the hitch, the Bulldog doesn't work well with the dolly without the EZ Connect Hitch Adapter. The manufacturer says their dolly doesn't work with the Bulldog hitch, but this guide was published before they made the adapter: Your Guide to Different Hitch Styles: Choosing the Perfect Trailer Dol – Parkit360
The dolly has enough power and grip on pavement to easily move the trailer, but it probably wouldn't work well on gravel. Sometimes the wheels slip on smooth level pavement, usually when pushing the trailer wheels over irregularities like the driveway apron.
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It seems Truma is developing a rating system for an RV's cold weather capabilities. It will be interesting to see how our trailers compare if/when they test an Oliver.
Company wants to certify new RVs as good enough to live in during cold winter - RV Travel
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21 hours ago, Jim_Oker said:
We love good coffee too, whether at home or camping. Once you grind coffee, a lot of the flavor starts being lost quickly if you don't brew asap. So a good quality small portable burr grinder is a must. We used to use a classic looking Zazzenhaus mill but after many years of use while car/van/trailer camping the burr was shot and not replaceable, so I got a Hario Mini Mill to replace it - it works reasonably well and has no glass (whereas the larger Hario mill has a glass bowl to catch the ground coffee - I'd prefer to avoid glass for a camping grinder...).
For brewing, we both like the Clever Dripper. It looks like a classic filter cone type brewer, but it actually brews more like a french press in that the coffee sits in the cone extracting flavor from the grounds until you put the device on a cup/mug and then a stopper opens up and lets the coffee pour through. But unlike french press, it's as easy to clean as a simple plastic cone with a disposable filter and you get no grounds in your cup. You grind as for french press and let it sit for minutes in the cone with a stir partway through before letting it rip into the cup. It's definitely not for someone who want a high volume of coffee fast but it does make an excellent cup once you get your grind and timing down. We have two Clever Drippers so we can brew our own cups simultaneously (and do our own mix - I do mostly home roasted decaf which is better than almost any decaf beans I've ever found with the one exception being a now out of business small batch roaster/cafe on the WA coast). I love the espresso we can make at home but the Clever Dripper makes equally fine cups of coffee albeit in a somewhat different style. https://www.sweetmarias.com/clever-coffee-dripper-large.html
X2 on the Clever Dripper. It's what I use to fill my travel mug daily before heading to work. It's perfect for making one mug at a time, and it works well for camping. I use an old Hario burr grinder too, but slightly modified. I replaced the knurled nut and hand crank with a 10mm acorn nut. We keep a small cordless drill on board anyway, so might as well use it.
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We’re confident that the folks at Oliver are doing their best to keep deliveries on schedule. When we initiated our order in February, we were told our LE2 would be ready for delivery December 15. By the time we put down our production line deposit in September the delivery date had been moved up to November 29, so we made our travel plans accordingly. Oliver contacted us about a month before our trip with the news that #969 wouldn’t be ready until January 3 due to supply chain issues. We have to plan ahead for time off from work, so we hope this date is firm.
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Ladybird Johnson RV filling with Oliver’s: Eclipse Update
in Events & Rallies
Posted
We're in Fredericksburg this weekend, camping in our OE2 on family property off Meusebach Creek Road. We dropped in on this little rally earlier today and met some really nice folks. Shout out to Bobby & Elizabeth, David & Kim, Dave & Lisa and Craig & Rose for visiting with us. Rumor has it that there are two campers with aftermarket AC installations, a Fresh Jet and a Truma, but no one was home when we visited. We may swing back by. If you see a blue grey Sprinter dually with solar panels on top and Texas plates driving through the park, it's probably us. Flag us down if you want to visit.