Islandgrl

Bill, Thank you very much! M&K

Great info! We watched the Oliver E2 YouTube Delivery walkthrough video recorded two weeks ago and decided we are going to purchase a torque wrench in advance of pick up. Will this torque wrench work? The video doesn’t say the size (1/2”, 1/4” etc) needed? Do you recommend a particular one? Thanks Much, M&K 1/2-inch Drive Click Torque Wrench, 10~150 ft./lb

Thank you all for all the words of wisdom, experience and great advice!! This forum and Oliver owners have such a wealth of knowledge! I really appreciate the quick, detailed and realistic advice. Retirement and owning our first truck and soon to be tow trailer has so far been a fun challenge and learning experience we are both embracing. As we say here on the island, "Mahalo" and Aloha Friday!" Safe travels and hope to one day see you on the road and/or at the rally. Mahalo, M&K

Thank you for the quick replay and detail in your reply! I really appreciate the information on what to expect with the light status and charging of the batteries. I did read that the AGMs don't last long but, we're not ready to pull the trigger on the lithium solar package $$$$ Mahalo, M&K

Thank you very much you guys for all the feedback and advice! Now, time to research a good solar panel to purchase that falls within the parameters needed. I'll also verify with Oliver what my 2022 model will have as far as ports available. You've been a great help! Mahalo, M&K

This looks like a viable option and so much easier actually then pulling our batteries out since we won't have to worry about theft where we are storing it initially in VA. Where would this connect on our Ollie E2? Is there an adapter on it? Also, if you don't mind can you share the info on your solar panel? Thank much! Mahalo, M&K

Mike, We have 4 6v AGM batteries. We are going to attempt to do the same thing you have done by wiring x2 6v AGM batteries together as suggested by JD. Do you keep your NOCO Genius 10 connected and charging the batteries all the time or does it turn off when the batteries are fully charged? How do you know the batteries are fully charged? Is there an indicator on the NOCO? Due to having 4 batteries we will have to charge one set of x2 6v AGMs and then disconnect and charge the other set of x2 6v AGMs. Were just trying to figure out if we need to purchase two chargers or if one will do the trick. Thanks much! M&K

Thank you Mike for the quick response! I did some more research (learned way more about batteries then I probably need to know) and we are researching more how to winterize. We will winterize when it's being stored in VA the first year and until we can get the Oliver stored in Southern CA where it won't need to be. We are intending on pulling our 4 6v AGM batteries and charging them since we won't have access to a constant electric source when it is being stored. I don't see any other way around this since we don't want to store it uncovered, allowing the solar to charge the batteries. Mahalo, M&K

*I definitely am a newbie here so, please be patient with my battery questions. I want to ensure we have everything in place before we pick up our Ollie and understand what the maintenance may look like moving forward. We have read the forum answers regarding batteries, but still find we have the questions that follow: Questions: -How long can the 6v AGM batteries stay in the Ollie while covered and in storage before they deplete their charge and should be recharged? - Can we alleviate pulling the batteries out and charging the batteries by having the Ollie plugged in all the time? If so, do we literally just keep it plugged in? I am assuming because we use a 30amp plug the outlet must support that as well and not just plug into a 110 outlet with an extension cord. Is this correct? - Since we have X4 6v AGM batteries I read you can put two in series and charge them as one big 12v. Does that mean we have to have two charges since we have four batteries (a charger per 12v series)? Once their charged to 100% how long are they expected to be good for before needing a new charge if they’re not in the Ollie? - If we chose not to pull the batteries and charge them while our Ollie is in storage can’t we just allow time to pull the batteries and charge them when we pull it out of storage and prior to hitting the road again? What will it do to the batteries? I’m sure they’d be dead after being in storage 6-8 months. Could we just plug into a 2200 generator and let it run while the batteries charge as another option? Thank you for your patience and advice. One day at a time, trying to learn every day. Mahalo, M&K

Thank you very much Mike! Colorado and Utah are on our states to see so, that's a bonus the PW performed well in those states. No boondocking for us, at least not for the first couple of years then, it's finding all the wineries/farms we can boondock at the follow-on years. We want to ease into going from the luxury of a home to traveling in an Oliver on and off possibly half of the year. *It's a nice break to get off of the island and see the mainland. M&K

We have researched over the past couple of days, read quite a few posts on this forum and are leaning towards using the Weigh Safe 6" drop hitch. Because we will be shipping our Ram PW from Hawaii to the mainland we won't purchase the Weigh Safe until we pick up the PW in Long Beach, CA. We like the idea of being able to see the tongue weight on the hitch. After reading all of the comments we decided to be cautious and wait on the purchase of our bikes until after we see exactly what our tongue weight will be upon delivery, placing our "must-haves" in the Ollie and then shifting weight around as needed. We are still on the fence with the purchase of the Anderson Sway Hitch. Our neighbor (who has pulled a 40' fifth wheel all over the mainland with his 3500) told us we will be absolutely fine pulling with the 2021 Ram 2500 Power Wagon without needing the Anderson hitch. He said the Oliver will follow and pull like a dream. He also swayed us away from the lithium batteries since we don't intend on doing a lot of boondocking and the because of the expense. He basically said the bang for the buck wasn't there. We never knew wanting to pull an Oliver E2 and camp across America required so much detailed planning and purchases. We have a new found respect for our parents who did it for a couple of years after they retired and made it look so easy. Here's to retirement and new adventures...CA to VA and back to CA...we're all in (of course keeping safety our number one priority for these two newbies). Mahalo, M&K

That’s good new info to know on the composite tanks SeaDawg and thank you for the link! We have 20# tanks and a composting toilet on our original Oliver order (not using black tank) that should help lighten the load also. Other than our bikes and inflatable kayak we travel pretty light normally. Here’s to new adventures! Mahalo, M&K

Thank you everyone for all the words of wisdom and for sharing your experience(s)! We have a much better understanding now on what to expect and also moving forward how to mitigate some of our tongue weight to safely travel with our new PW tow vehicle and Oliver. We are looking into composite propane tanks, not getting the front storage basket (didn't have it on the original order), sticking with getting the rear hitch for our bicycles (we love to bike) and have a much better idea on how we want to load our Oliver so as to lighten the tongue weight. So much to learn but, we feel as though this forum has given us such a great supportive team of experts, with lots of experience to ease us safely into our (first-time) towing adventures. Again, thank you or as we say here on the island, "Mahalo!" M&K

Aloha, we’re trying to figure out what we can expect for an average tongue weight for our Elite II w/ solar as we compute our payload for our tow truck. We read the Elite II base model has 490 tongue weight pounds but, we’re not sure that’s inclusive of having solar with AGM batteries in the equation? Can anyone tell us what their average Elite II standard configuration tongue weight usually is? *Is the standard configuration weight the same as the twin bed configuration? We’re estimating 650-700 pounds (10% of max trailer weight) but, we’re just not confident that’s accurate. *There’s just the two of us. Thank you so much for the assistance!

Aloha Fritz, What a great checklist! We saved the document and will be bringing it with us when we pickup our Oliver in May 2022. Thank you! Have you had the opportunity to complete your three week test you talked about and if so, have you added any additional checks to the checklist? Mahalo, M&K