routlaw

Thanks Chukarhunter for this in depth explanation of the differences with batteries, or at least some of them. I understand most of this and should re-read but what I don't understand is why you never used your 4 wet cell acid batteries at all. Granted with lead acid, one can only use approximately 50% of their capacity as I understand things, meaning only 225 of the 450 amp hours available. To the best of my knowledge lead acid batteries are not hamstrung like the AGM's with charging rate and can take a full 100% charge until they top out at 100%. From my experience with them in over 6 years this seems to be the case and once again I have yet to ever even come close to running out of battery power. Please don't misunderstand, not trying to be argumentative on this issue by any means and you make some excellent points regarding AGM vs LI-ION batteries. Aside from the weight difference, and it is substantial I am not convinced at least not yet of LI-ION superiority compared to lead acid at least in this application. Thanks again for the excellent information. @Chukarhunter

Lately I have been using the glass cleaner available from the Glass Doctor which is by far the best glass cleaner I've ever used. Makes windex obsolete by a huge margin. The GD cleaner seems to polish as well as clean the glass, then a coat or two of Rain-X and done. However not sure I've ever noticed much if any difference with a dirty solar panel vs clean. The batteries seem to always be completely charged by mid morning at the latest no matter. As others have stated it is a major PITA to get up there and clean. Have thought about investing in scaffolds but even that only gets one as high as a 6 foot step ladder albeit with a noticeable amount more stability than a ladder alone.

Impressive!

FWIW, I couldn't agree more regarding the implementation of solar. In over six years with our Ollie we have never used a generator ever, and only on a couple of occasions have we stayed at an RV camp with full hookups not because we needed to but simply because that was the only thing available where we were at the time. In fact I just sold my Yamaha Generator earlier in the summer because it was just setting around unused collecting dust for the last 6 years. Batteries now that's another thing. Other than the weight of wet cell units like I have, its just not clear to me what is actually gained by AGM or even Lithium. My understanding is LI-ON does not like either extreme heat or cold, wet cells don't seem to care one way or the other. If my perceptions are wrong please correct me, and help to understand the advantage of LI vs other batteries other than weight. Thanks

Geez, am I out of date and old fashion or what? Still have 4 wet cell 6 volt Trojan T-105's and solar with no complaints. Have never even come close to running out of electricity and only once or twice dipped into the mid 80's percentile of available current left. I don't even take them out of the Ollie for long winter storage here in Montana and they stay fully charged to 12.84 volts ± a fraction even after 5 or more months of storage. This most likely does not help the OP in his decision however.

The Glidecoat system is quite the process and not cheap either. The results seem impressive however.

Thanks John, it does not include electricity to the best of my knowledge and definitely not temp controlled. Normally I assume most storage sheds do not come with electricity. Agreed there would not be tons of extra room but just enough to store a few other items. Doors are 11 foot high so enough clearance for an Ollie.

John at what size shelter are you getting those quotes of $350 per month. Where I live there are enclosed 12x30 storage shelters for $185 per month. For the last 6 years I have rented an open but overhead covered shelter for just barely over $100 per month, but this past year the new owners have increased the prices twice for a total of a near 60% increase in one year. I told them to take a hike and left, but still looking for an appropriate place to store especially during the winter months. I don't have the option of building an onsite storage where we live in the downtown historical area.

Thats odd, we just returned from a trip into the Wind River Range camped at just over 8000 feet with no issues what so ever. Even kept my homemade ice cream frozen solid. However I do have the Dometic 3-way in our Elite II.

@MarylandDave Arches will still be fairly crowded most likely this time of year and it can still be quite hot in the area. Moab is considerably lower in elevation so triple digit or nearly so temps can still be lingering on there. Its highly unlikely you'll be able to get a camp spot in Arches without having registered for one weeks or months ago. Might be worth a try though. However there are numerous BLM campgrounds around the Moab area. Do not arrive on a weekend though, Sunday or Monday night would be much better. Its not clear to me what you would get out of the Colorado Springs diversion to the south unless you plan to travel the backcountry roads to and through UT. If time is constrained I would recommend staying on I-70 right through CO. There is the CO National Monument just off I-70 in western CO, then a short drop (relatively) down to the Moab area off I-70. Further west is the San Rafael Swell also just of the interstate then half an hour or so to the south is Goblin Valley State Park. I could go on and on with the possibilities in southern UT but will keep it brief for now. The point is there are incredible things to see and experience other than the heavily visited national parks. One other thing you need to consider, the front range drive is maddening worse than either Houston or DFW IMHO and worse still there is currently major road construction going on from south of Trinidad right into the southern perimeter of Denver. I just drove this a couple of months ago and traffic even on a Sunday went at a snails pace often setting dead still. Took hours get through. Another reason to just blast right through Denver cutting it in half. Further west in UT most of those Nat Parks will still be quite busy, Zion, Bryce etc, plan ahead now for campgrounds. Kodachrome Basin is just a few miles further down the road from Bryce NP and is a very nice state park campground. Green River also has a nice state park campground (and right off I-70) as well though not much to do there unless you golf or mountain bike. Hope this helps

Agree with Mike and Carol, getting through El Paso is mostly a non event and especially compared to DFW or worse yet Houston which are both a major long drawn out PITA.

Depends on how you view things I suppose. However it is by any measure the most stark example of the 1st World juxtaposed to the 3rd World you're ever likely to find thrown into a mix of industrial wasteland. The first time is a bit of a shock.

Indeed they should.

FWIW I have seen it worse here than today but it still is awful and only going to get worse as the summer wears on. On another note had not realize there was another Oliver owner here in the Bozone, how about that. Congrats.

Having been out of the loop for the last week had not realized the smoke from these fires had reached the east to this extent. That should be a warning to any and all. Looking at todays current fire map and AQI reports my suggestion would be to travel the southern route across the country as SeaDawg mentioned. Yes it will be warmer or in some cases hotter than the northern route although much of the NW have seen record breaking triple digits off and on this summer. NM and AZ have been receiving copious amounts of rain this past month too which helps mitigating clearer air. Safe travels.

Allow me to add some thoughts to the conversation. True, Glacier NP is a not to be missed place but do NOT underestimate John's comment about the conditions out west currently and they are NOT likely to change even through September. You would be well advised to keep checking and paying attention to the wildfires throughout any part of the west before departing on your trip. The AQI in Bozeman, Montana where I live was 163 at the top of the morning and will most likely reach near or above 200 before the day is over. Just 80 miles west of here in Butte where our daughter lives it has been 200 or near so for days. My wife and I were in the Wind River Range of Wyoming this past week enjoying very clear air, deep blue skies and puffy whites punctuated with a few thunderstorms but by Friday afternoon and Saturday morning the smoked had rolled into the area and as of this morning the AQI there is in the 130's or so. None of this is likely to change until some major and drastic change in the weather patterns. Understand too, smoke from wildfires will and do travel hundreds and thousands of mile away. It is not the least uncommon for us living in Montana to have a summer filled with smoke from CA, OR, WA, NV or ID fires. On most days the mountains are completely invisible due to the smokey conditions this summer. I'm not making this up. Not trying to rain on your parade by any means and with some luck hopefully things will clear up before your departure and if they do understand there are campgrounds within Glacier that are all first come first serve and those include Apgar and Avalanche Lake on the west side. Two Medicine and Swiftcurrent on the east side are a mixture of RSVP's and FCFS however both of these are fairly remote and require some time to get into. The roads are windy with lots of elevation changes and take some time to negotiate. Plan ahead! This will be nothing like driving around the eastern part of the US. On a more positive note I am finding lots of USFS and BLM campgrounds that do not take reservations and are all on a FCFS basis and better still do not fill up even on the weekends. IOW's there are still plenty of camping sites to be had out west even without reservations if you know where to look. However as John has implied the more popular national parks, such as YNP, Glacier, Grand Tetons are more likely to be booked. This year GTNP went to the Advanced Reservation System exclusively meaning there are no walk-ins or FCFS sites throughout. YNP does have some campgrounds on FCFS basis but most are RSVP. The Ultimate Public Campground app is a must but I also use the Free Roam app which shows hundreds and thousands of dispersed or boon docking sits that are free. Allstays is worth having as well but it will include RV parks and the like, sort of a jack of all trades but not an expert at anything. Let us know if you have more questions. Be glad to help if possible.

Really good points John, and if using a crossover SUV or even a shorter truck frame based SUV like your Land Cruiser stronger consideration for a WDH would certainly be in order. If not mistaken the wheel base on my F150 (Super Crew/6.5 foot bed) is 158 inches which goes a long way toward stability as you have pointed out. Just wanted to emphasize my previous post was not meant as dissing those who choose to implement the WDH, far from it. Everyone should do what is comfortable and sensible for their situation. Safe travels.

Probably not much new to add to this conversation other than to say we have had our Elite II for just over 6 years now with well over 20K miles of towing and in all sorts of weather from howling winds (side and headwinds), to torrential downpours for days and do not have the WDH. FWIW I was the one who started the initial conversation some 6 or so years ago back in the day when Robert Partee was still with us. At that time Oliver did not use or suggest any WDH and no one who owned an Oliver used them either. I only brought up the issue having looked into the the specs on all towing vehicles and thought it curious Oliver did not recommend them and wanted a better understanding. The result of that thread led to Oliver adopting the Anderson. There are two specs for all tow vehicles, one with and one without a WDH and this includes not only the towing capacity but the load limits on the hitch itself. Typically a decal or equivalent is applied to the underside of the hitch stating its load and tow limit and typically those values are cut in half by approximately 50% + o - when towing without a WDH. Given my tow vehicle (an F150) my values were just under or right at the limits, so with much cogitation on the subject I chose NOT to use the Anderson. Keep in mind most all newer trucks have electronic anti-sway devices built into the system and at least on my truck this seems to work admirably. I say this because on more than one occasion I have been subjected to some harrowing emergency maneuvers on the highway while towing, or extreme wind conditions while the Oliver stayed where it should, right behind me. None of this is to suggest others do not adopt the WDH, each individual has to figure out what they are or are not comfortable with. Perhaps I am being a penny wise and pound foolish but thus far I have not seen, with my tow vehicle, the need for a WDH. Worth mentioning in the initial thread some 6 or so years ago a few comments suggested outside of the RV industry these towing specs are either completely ignored or completely unknown to the towing public, ie horse trailers, construction trailers and so on and so forth. Sure enough not sure I've ever seen anyone outside the RV industry hooked up to a heavy trailer of any sort with anti-sway or WDH hitches. Oh well. As others have suggested, tow safely and sensibly at all times with a light foot on the gas pedal. As a rule I tend to stay around 65 on the major highways a bit slower 55-60 on two lanes and will rarely get to 70 unless under idea conditions with virtually no traffic near me. My own general rule is to travel at least 5-10 mph slower than the given flow of traffic. YMMV of course. Hope this helps.

Thanks for all of the comments. The simplicity of the gutters is appealing not to mention the price of admission difference compared to the window awnings. Additionally Carefree of CO recommends mounting them a minimum of 3 inches above the window frame which puts the awning literally right under the porch lights and even that does not provide a full 3 inches of clearance over the window frame. The full view fabric which Carefree now offers also has appeal. Might just go with the Eze RV gutters though. Thanks again.

I've not heard of the Northern Lite Boreal before, but the potential looks very nice and accommodating. Regarding the RV industry in general, if the automotive industry built to the same standards as the RV industry the amount of Class Action law suits would be off the charts and rightfully so. Its really shameful. One company that caught my attention a few years ago before being an Oliver is the Lance Travel Trailers. I don't care for their looks but do believe these are a significant cut above the typical travel trailer on the market. While the my look "stick built" they are anything but and like Olivers seem to enjoy a cult following. Something else to consider.

Several of the members here have installed the Eze RV Rain Gutters and at least initially were very pleased with the results. My questions, are you satisfied with them and how much water do they actually keep from entering into the weep holes and sliding tracks? I can't imagine the gutters eliminating 100% of the water and contamination but hopefully the majority. Considering an alternate approach has anyone here ever installed dedicated windows awnings? An internet search brought up 3 companies that manufacture them, although they all look nearly identical except for the fabrics. Lippert, Dometic and by far the one company that seems to gain the most use are the Carefree of Colorado, link below. https://www.carefreeofcolorado.com/simplyshade/ Their website leaves much to be desired and trying to contact them directly seems impossible. Phone lines don't seem to work and their email system is completely worthless. You actually have to have a serial # from one their products to complete their email form. General sales questions for newcomers do not allow one to complete the form. Thanks

Can't blame you for going the extra mile to eliminate as much crud as possible in those window tracks. Just spent the last two days cleaning mine and what a chore that was, all sorts of organic detritus compacted in those tracks. However if nothing else I have learned a way to completely remove the sliding window and associated rubber track, then reinstall fairly easily. One mishap along the way, that being one of the sliding panes developed a seal leak between the double pane glass and now I have to replace that one. Suffice it to say I'm not a fan of these windows, way too much maintenance to deal with.

Why not just use silicone caulk to plug the weep holes at the top? Thanks

Nice looking heater, although 475 watts is not much heat to throw out, and of course you would have to be plugged into shore power or run a generator to use it. On more than one occasion with really cold Montana weather even a full blown 1500 watt electric heater could not adequately heat our Oliver and I've tried 3 of the darn things all to no avail. Not sure what the best solution is for your heating requirements but I would be skeptical of this unless using it in some coolish to only slightly cold weather. For that matter I would have preferred the installed heater system in our Oliver to have been more than the 16000 BTU's currently implemented. While adequate it seems slightly lower than it should have been.

Yes there will be anti freeze deposited in your fresh water tank, assuming you go through the proper de-winterization procedure. You should flush this out before using your fresh water tank. It is my understanding this is the same product used by the medical industry when performing some medical test procedures. I'm not an expert on this however. Its doubtful very small amounts of water left in a line could cause the failure you speak of. Not buying into that one. Not sure about the hose part, we purchased ours separately but perhaps Oliver is handling things different these days new deliveries. Don't know anything about the last paragraph, all new to me. In conclusion we never ever drink water from the fresh water tank. For one thing it taste terrible after only a few hours setting in one of those tanks. Not sure of the chemical makeup of these tanks but they appear to leach into the water. Personally I think anyone is asking for trouble by drinking from the holding tanks anyway. We always carry extra supplies of fresh water along stored in 5 gallon BPA free jugs and use this for drinking and cooking. The fresh water in the holding tanks is use for washes dishes and people and nothing else.