John Welte
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Posts posted by John Welte
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5 hours ago, Rivernerd said:
We are taking delivery of our 2022 Elite II in November as well. My review of posts on this forum over the past 9 months has persuaded me that we, as consumers, are the final quality control inspectors for the Oliver trailers we buy. So, I have compiled a long list of items to check, and system tests to conduct, during the first few days after pickup.
Many Oliver owners will be quick to point out that Oliver's quality control is much better than their competitors. But, as this thread demonstrates, it is still not up to my standards. I expect Oliver's management will echo the chorus heard more today than at any time in my life: "Good help is hard to find."
That said, forum posters consistently note that Oliver's service department promptly and effectively addresses any issues identified by those who pick up new Olivers, before you head back home. That is one of many reasons we remain committed to Oliver.
By comparison, I suspect that a request to address such issues in a new trailer purchased from a dealer, after you towed it off the lot, would be "take a number" or "leave the trailer with us and we'll see if we can get to it in a few weeks."
"We are taking delivery of our 2022 Elite II in November as well. My review of posts on this forum over the past 9 months has persuaded me that we, as consumers, are the final quality control inspectors for the Oliver trailers we buy. So, I have compiled a long list of items to check, and system tests to conduct, during the first few days after pickup."
We have November 7 as our delivery day. We plan to test out everything and leave for Oregon on the 11th. Maybe we will cross paths. When is your delivery date? If you want to be famous, would you be willing to share your list with me? I know Oliver has their own list, but you might have thought of things that bear inspection from reading the forum. You won't be famous worldwide, but with us you will be. 😂🤣
Best regards, John
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6 hours ago, albert60 said:
We picked up our new Elite II on Friday, 6/3/2022. Very pleased indeed! Of note however was the battery box support member only had a single tightened bolt holding it up, The second bolt was in place but not even finger tight. This issue has been discussed in the past in the forum which prompted me to check it out upon delivery...very glad I did. I also pulled the under sink drawers to inspect the hose connection that has been reported to leak, ours looked good. No other major issues, but the take-home message is to take the time to do a little digging before leaving the sales office, it is worth the effort if you find a fixable issue early on.
Hull 1125 has officially taken its maiden voyage, we stayed at a couple of Hipcamps and a Harvest Host on the way home. All went seamlessly.
"Of note however was the battery box support member only had a single tightened bolt holding it up, The second bolt was in place but not even finger tight"
I wonder how these are overlooked in the inspection process. I thought they were inspected and signed off all along the build process. We pick up in November, so will do a thorough inspection of everything before leaving for Oregon.
John, unknown hull number
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On 3/29/2021 at 6:36 AM, Overland said:
An induction cooktop was in fact a brief option at one time though I don’t know if anyone ever ordered it. This was before lithium batteries and of course the larger inverter.
We considered it but ultimately decided that the combination of a gas cooktop plus a portable induction burner was the better option. However at the time, we were turned off by the quality of the more affordable portable units and opted to wait for the price of the better ones to come down. Still waiting.
But while we were waiting we realized that with the larger propane tanks, we can go for weeks even in mid winter running the furnace. We also learned just how much of a battery suck our toaster oven is, and I assume an induction burner would be the same. So induction isn’t really something on our list anymore, except that they’re just cool and I’d like to have one for the house at some point, just to have.
Heres a thread from way back then discussing the benefits of induction -
We just got a Frigidaire 4 burner induction cook top for the house after our Amana halogen unit failed. It's insanely fast. This model was $900, but there were many in the $2000 range. I like it. I was thinking of getting a portable induction burner for the Ollie. It looks like it might only be feasible with shore power.
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4 hours ago, ScottyGS said:
Last time I talked to Tali she said Steve aims for people on bicycles. 🥸
🚴🚴🚴🚴🚴
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3 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:
Trailer - Cooper AT3 XLT 225/75-16.
Truck - Cooper AT3 XLT 35/12.5-18.
Does your mud flap do the job to protect the trailer? I am considering Rock Tamers. They're bigger and attach at the hitch. We get our Ollie in November so I anticipate some rainy weather on the trip back to Oregon. It would be nice if it wasn't chipped up and filthy by the time we get home.
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I read an article in RV Life that said to just buy new tires when you get your new trailer as they put on very cheap tires to get the trailers and RV's out the door. I assume they meant other trailer brands. I can't picture that being an issue with Oliver.
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7 hours ago, SeaDawg said:
Sadly, I can't eat ice cream anymore. Dairy is limited to yogurt and cheese.
I'm such a blue bell fan, but it doesn't agree with me. Holidays, I live with the consequences of a spoon or two.
My husband has agreed to ice cream store stops, instead of taking up freezer room.
Does lactaid work? A lot of people can't tolerate dairy. Northern European ancestry can for the most part. We're from Swedish ancestry so we have no problem.
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1 minute ago, John E Davies said:
I do too 😁 A good double pane glass panel is R2 or R3. Which is pretty good compared to a single pane, but not much more can be said about that. Just stick your hand on your home window when it is bitter outside.
John Davies
Spokane WA
So apparently my wife is right again. We don't need to tell her.
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2 hours ago, Steph and Dud B said:
Most theoretical values hit a wall in real-world applications because they rarely get installed optimally. Even so, R16 does seem a bit far-fetched. The real question: is the Oliver insulation any better than a standard RV with aluminum studs and fiberglass/styrofoam/luan sandwich walls and roof? I'll know pretty soon. Had a few of those "stickie" trailers. This summer will be an Ollie. I know that our last fifth wheel radiated a lot of heat through the slideout walls, which I think were thinner than the "main" walls, and the cabinets/compartments in those slides were always cooler or hotter than the cabin interior. Comparisons with the Ollie will be interesting.
I thought the only R value that Oliver talked about were the windows. R16 for the windows was a figure that I recall. I could be wrong. My wife would agree that I could be wrong.
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16 hours ago, SeaDawg said:
@Jps190, I'm with you. I'll wait and see.
Our 2008, waxed twice yearly, with quality, uv protection carnuba based wax, still looks great, stored outside 24/7/365. We also wash it frequently, with marine soap.
My only tangential experience with ceramic coating was my neighbor's 28 ft boat. Took two days to complete. Lasted 2 years in Florida sun and salt spray. Our boats do better/look better than that with twice yearly wax, and far less costly. My neighbor sold the boat, so didn't care. I would.
I'd look for a local mobile detailer if I didn't want to keep up with waxing routines.
Everyone has to follow their gut on this decision. Either way, if not diy, it's a high $$$ investment.
"Our 2008, waxed twice yearly, with quality, uv protection carnuba based wax, still looks great, stored outside 24/7/365. We also wash it frequently, with marine soap."
What are the names of those two products? Do you use the clay bar to buff? I saw that mentioned somewhere on a thread.
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38 minutes ago, Steph and Dud B said:
Yes, we did. After much discussion.
Was it a hard decision? I think someone said you lose a little counter space with the convection one. Do you know how much is lost?
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1 hour ago, Steph and Dud B said:
Note that it does take up a bit more counter space than the microwave. That was a factor in our decision.
Did you opt for the standard microwave?
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Hi all, for the cooks among you, are you happy with the convection oven? Can you cook with it if you are boondocking with a lithium pro package, or is it limited to FHU? My wife wanted some thoughts on it. Thanks, John
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On 12/20/2021 at 12:26 PM, Rivernerd said:
Kirk:
Even if Oliver is willing to allow you the "cabinet-instead of-microwave" option on your 2022 model, I would consider the thread below before presuming that the High Pointe convection microwave Oliver offers will not be acceptable. While your baking standards may be very high, there are lots of pretty satisfied Elite II convection microwave owners on this forum who have baked bread, cookies, poultry, etc.:
You might also consider seeking additional input by starting another thread focused on convection oven baking results.
FWIW, my wife and I like to bake too, which is why we plan to drop the extra $450 for the convection upgrade. Even if it does not offer results quite as good as our built-in double convection/standard ovens at home (which we won't know until we try it), we view it as one of the trade-offs of camping. And, if we're not satisfied with the convection oven's performance, we can always resort to that venerable Idaho camp kitchen tool we take on every extended river trip---a dutch oven! I've baked many a cake on the river...
My 2 cents.
Ralph Pond
Hi Ralph, how is the convection microwave working out for you? Do you have to be connected to shore power to operate it? We have an LE2 on order for November delivery with lithium pro package. I am just not sure if we can cook for very long with battery power.
John
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On 11/24/2017 at 11:29 AM, ScubaRx said:
Today I received the 2 5/16" Bulldog Coupler (their item #028462) that I had ordered thru WalMart. GTW rating for this coupler is 12,500 lbs vs 7000 lbs on the OEM one. Though many would say that is overkill, The Outlaw Oliver II weighs over 7200 lbs so this upgrade is warranted and anyway, I'm all about overkill. It was about $66.00 and change including shipping. This will allow me to take full advantage of the Weigh-Safe hitch mount that I've also ordered. Going from the 2" to the 2 5/16" ball will increase Max GTW from 7500 lbs to 14,500 lbs. This setup now also fully optimizes the capability of the new Silverado 2500 HD truck.
If you are buying a new Oliver Elite II and your plan is to tow with a HD pickup, consider specifying the larger coupler for your build.
Do you know if the Anderson WDH is compatible with the Weigh Safe? We pick up an LE2 in November. Our tv requires a wdh. It's a 2017 Ford Expedition LE with heavy duty tow package. I like the idea of a hitch scale.
Thanks, John
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Hi all, I did a search on this topic and couldn't find anything, but has anyone put a ceramic coating on a new trailer? I would think the prep work is nil as no buffing is required. Has anyone just bought the material and applied it right out of the can? Does this make sense? I have seen some videos of applying it with a rag and wiping it off. Please direct me to a thread if one exists that has already covered this topic. Thanks, John
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On 5/20/2022 at 6:35 PM, SeaDawg said:
Definitely, get a tpms.
My first purchase! Done. Less than five months of waiting left for us.
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On 11/22/2021 at 5:05 AM, ChrisMI said:
Not knowing the height of your receiver the only recommendation I’ll give is to be careful of the gtw of the hitch ball and draw bar. One of the reasons I don’t really like a 2 inch ball for a 7k trailer is there are a bunch of 3.5k and 6k rated units out there. Personally id make sure the connection equipment is rated at or above the gross rating of the trailer.
Chris, did you go with the 2 5/8 inch ball? I am leaning towards that for our November delivery. You also get a beefier Bulldog coupler.
John
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Just now, John Welte said:
EDIT - it is 6’7” from the rear axle to the center of the bumper 😥
Thanks John
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1 hour ago, John E Davies said:
https://www.1up-usa.com/compare-racks/
Three are RV rated and off road rated. Be sure to buy enough rack…. I do not have the Ollie receiver so I can’t help there.
EDIT - it is 6’7” from the rear axle to the center of the bumper 😥
All those 1-Up racks that are RV rated require a 2” receiver, so you would have to modify yours.
I bought a Super Duty Single for the truck, I dislike it for a fendered city bike. For a fenderless one, no worries. They make a front wheel brace that is intended to help, but it is lame. Shortening the rear fender helps.
John Davies
Spokane WA
EDIT - it is 6’7” from the rear axle to the center of the bumper 😥
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Hi all, I went out looking at trailer specific bike racks and they wanted to know the distance from the pin that holds the bike hitch to the center of the rear wheel on the tandem axle LE2. If it's under 6 feet I have more options. Our two bikes aren't very heavy, about 20 for one and 39 for the electric bike. If anyone is bored and looking at the tape measure on your kitchen counter, do you want to measure that? After you're done, you can put the tape measure back in the garage. See, I am helping you! Thanks
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1 hour ago, ScubaRx said:
Take it and run with it. I think the grid should return to DC power.
And let's get rid of vehicles. Horse and buggy or if you're cheap, just a horse.
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4 minutes ago, FrankC said:
We didn’t get the Oliver shower curtain track. It’s an odd design, seems a bit expensive, and some owners have had issues with the track detaching from the inner hull ceiling because of a poor riveting job. But we wanted a shower curtain though, so I used the small Command hooks all around on the ceiling directly above the shower pan in the floor, and then hang a standard shower curtain on those hooks when we take our showers, and can quickly remove the curtain to let it dry outside the trailer when done. It was a cheap and effective solution. And if I ever come up with a different idea this one is easily removed completely. Command strips/hooks are a great accessory for attaching lot of things on the Ollie interior.
Looks like you managed to get a bigger area too. Looks good. Great suggestion! Thanks!
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5 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:
15th season, mostly without hookups..
1. We have the generator connection at the front. To the best of our memory, we've never used it. (We talked about this a week ago with a friend. ) I think that's an option best suited for those who carry a generator in the basket.
2. We don't have ultraleather in our trailer. We do have it in our boat, in the main salon, and love it. Cleanable, breathable,, comfy. (5 or 6 years). Probably a waste for sleeping cushions, imo.
All our boat sleeping cushions are fabric. We have a very small dog, with tiny nails.
My fabric cushions in my trailer are in 15th season. I'll probably replace them in a few years. They've served us well.
3. We don't have a basket. We do have a quick connect on the bumper, that has been useful over the years, depending on whether we carry a grill, or not. Buying that depends on your propane extras. Many items can easily be managed with an extra 1 lb or 5 lb tank. You have to decide, based on your camping style.
4 no to the shower track, imo. Makes the small marine bath smaller, to no great gain. Showering helps clean the bath, which I'd have to do anyway, later.
5. Bike rack. We don't usually carry bikes, so search the many posts here on bike racks. If we do some relatively local camping, we'll occasionally take bikes in the truckbed, for the weekend, so seriously not an expert, here.
What I told my friend last week:
Other than solar, most addons can be added after sale, if you're handy. Even solar isn't that tough, for some.
Thanks so much!
Can’t get help. Electrical/voltage problem.
in General Discussion
Posted
I am glad it's fixed for you. That was a bad way to start life with your Ollie. Hope it's all trouble free from here on. Have a great first summer with it.