John Welte
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Posts posted by John Welte
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3 hours ago, Rivernerd said:
Which lithium batteries do you have? Lithionics installed by Oliver?
If so, see this Storage Procedure published by Lithionics:
Lithionics Storage Procedure Rev.7-1.pdf 143.35 kB · 3 downloads
If you have the Lithium Platinum Package, this procedure applies directly to you.
If you have the Lithium Pro Package, Oliver installed an external heating pad under the batteries, controlled by a red switch on top of the 3-battery bank. You can connect shore power, leave the red switch "on," and walk away for up to 3 months. The external heater will keep the batteries charged and protected from below-freezing temps, using 12V battery power. The batteries are recharged over that time by the Xantrex Inverter/Charger using shore power.
After 3 months, Lithionics recommends discharging, then recharging the batteries, as described in the Long Term Storage paragraph of that Storage Procedure document. Then the batteries are o.k. for another 3 months.
"After 3 months, Lithionics recommends discharging, then recharging the batteries, as described in the Long Term Storage paragraph of that Storage Procedure document. Then the batteries are o.k. for another 3 months."
We both have the same battery package. As I understand it, as long as I am connected to my 30 amp outlet, there's no need to do anything. I have the battery warmer switch turned on and solar switch on also. The first paragraph of the Lithionics directions says that "doing this will eliminate the procedures below". Those procedures are the ones that says what to do for short term and long term storage and discharging and bringing it back up to 100% SOC.
John
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4 hours ago, Trainman said:
Wow, wood decks, not concrete, or dirt.
trainman
But look how close they all are to each other!
John
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22 hours ago, Dave and Kimberly said:
I have just investigated this very point: Can we file for a tax credit in regards to the solar panels, inverter and batteries for a newly purchased Oliver. I was extremely skeptical of the claims (in Oliver Trailer Owners FaceBook group). In the discussion, I think everyone was an Oliver owner. One was a licensed CPA with much experience and had researched the tax codes specific to the very questions that Oliver owners were asking. In addition, there were at least three that had successfully filed (under the advice of professional CPA's) and received their credit for everything (Panels, inverter and batteries) in 2020 and 2021.
I (like some of you) found in the code where the batteries could be included only if they were used exclusively to store solar energy. This was the sticking point of the persons like me that felt it might not be possible, because we can also plug into shore power and charge our batteries. The Tax code is always lagging behind new technology and the common sense fact that no solar panel system can work without having a storage system as part of it. Beginning 1/1/2023 the batteries were clarified and can now be included. Tax code is written and when there are conflicts, CPA's and lawyers will argue and then precedent is established as courts make findings. There was much ambiguity from 2020, 2021,2022.
There was (in the discussions) numerous persons confirmed that their CPA's were advising Oliver Owners to claim everything (panels, inverter and batteries), and the several that have successfully done so and received their tax credits. In addition, the IRS rules have already clarified this "sticking" point going forward in 2023. In all these discussions there were a least a couple that were going to file their personal taxes this weekend (using their trusted CPA) and I hope to hear back from them if there is any new info that comes out of it. Another point that came out of the discussions is that there is no concern with claiming an Oliver as a "2nd home".
Prior years the credit was 26%, in 2022 it is 30% and I think 2023 goes back to 26% also. With a brand new Oliver, where the cost for the solar panels, the inverter and the batteries is very easy to itemize (because Oliver spells it out on your invoice)... capturing the total cost is easy. In our case it is $9,500 for the Lithium Pro package... and the sales tax of 7.25% my total cost was $10,189 times a 30% tax credit should equal $3,058. The form that needs to be filled out is Tax Form 5695 (Residential Energy Credit). I'm going to file an amended tax return (using that form) and the very worse that could happen is it could be refused... but based on common sense (it's still makes a good argument) and with enough persons that have already successfully done so, I don't think our tax credit will be denied.
"I'm going to file an amended tax return (using that form) and the very worse that could happen is it could be refused... but based on common sense (it's still makes a good argument) and with enough persons that have already successfully done so, I don't think our tax credit will be denied."
Thanks Dave or Kimberly for your post. It makes sense to me that the whole amount could be used for the basis of claiming the 30%. The point about whether or not it would be excluded because the batteries CAN be charged via shore power and the converter shouldn't matter. What about people that only boondock and never plug in? I plan to claim the whole amount also. If the IRS says no, then I could appeal. Nothing to lose if I try, but if I don't, then I could be giving them $3000+ that they shouldn't have.
John
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38 minutes ago, Steve and Deb said:
Woohoo! Don't use up all the parts. Ours is six days behind you. 😉
It's gonna be a long 50 days!!
It goes surprisingly fast. Nice to get yours in the Spring so you can start using it asap. We got ours in November.
John
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16 minutes ago, Rivernerd said:
I read that provision differently. It is arguable that qualifying batteries installed during 2022 are not excluded from the credit. See:
But, of greater concern is the apparent requirement that, for battery costs to be eligible for the credit, 100% of the energy used to recharge the batteries must come from solar. See:
It seems to me that our Oliver trailers can't meet the 100% requirement because the inverters can, and do, charge the batteries from either shore power or solar. So, it appears to me that regardless of the installation date, batteries installed as part of a solar upgrade in an Oliver do not qualify for the federal tax credit.
I welcome contrary views.
And, this is not tax advice! You must consult with your own counsel or tax advisor for reliable advice before filing your tax return.
"It seems to me that our Oliver trailers can't meet the 100% requirement because the inverters can, and do, charge the batteries from either shore power or solar. So, it appears to me that regardless of the installation date, batteries installed as part of a solar upgrade in an Oliver do not qualify for the federal tax credit."
It would appear to me that only the panels and the wiring possibly would be the only items that would qualify. I will let our tax accountant figure it out.
John
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14 hours ago, Bryan in NC said:
Our LE2 entered production today. 50 days and counting!
Bryan, we have an LE2 and find it's easier to back up than our smaller tent trailer that we had before. The shorter the distance from the hitch ball to the tires of the trailer, the harder it is to back up. At least that's what I experienced. I think you made a good choice. Ours tows very easily behind our Ford Expedition. Congrats on your upcoming trailer.
John
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In looking at the directions for federal form 5695, it appears that the only tax credit is for a home or primary residence. That could be something other than a house, but it's where we primarily live in. I was under the impression that we could write off as a credit on taxes owed, the cost of the solar panels, and possibly the lithium batteries and inverter. Has anyone looked into whether there is a way to take a credit on taxes owed because we have purchased solar panels on our travel trailer. If you live in your Ollie and that's your primary residence, then it may qualify, but as a vacation trailer, does it qualify? TIA
John
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2 hours ago, Shawna and Scott said:
Congratulations from Hull 1182!!
I also recommend staying in the area if at all possible. We stayed at Davey Crockett State Park for a couple days and on to a nice COE in Northern Mississippi. We spent about 5 days total. We returned to Oliver to purchase a rug my wife saw and asked a couple questions about things that happened, just wanted to make sure I understood. They did replace the ball on the anderson hitch that failed as well as address a flickering light (occasionally) in the bathroom overhead storage area. Both fixes were done right there, no waiting.
I am learning more and more and feeling more comfortable each time out about how things work. This is our first travel trailer so we were alittle overwhelmed at first.
Enjoy and Safe Travels
"I am learning more and more and feeling more comfortable each time out about how things work. This is our first travel trailer so we were alittle overwhelmed at first."
There is a steep learning curve at first, but it's rewarding to understand all the systems. It does get easier. It's easy to feel overwhelmed at first.
John
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On 11/2/2022 at 2:30 PM, Steve and Deb said:
I just got off of the phone with Anita, and our final build list has been entered. All that's left is to write a check for half the remainder and wait almost five months.
Here's where we're at right now:
- Oliver Legacy Elite II Twin Bed
- Standard Mattresses (third party mattresses after receipt)
- Standard Fabric - Midnight
- Hypervent
- Omnidirectional Antenna (local weather etc. if we don't have cell service)
- Street Side Awning
- Frosted Cabinet Doors
- Convection Microwave
- 20 Gallon Propane (to keep tongue weight down)
- Front/Rear Propane Quick-Connects
- Standard Toilet (with possible AirHead composting replacement)
- Full Truma Package AC, Furnace, Water Heater and Antifreeze kit
- Lithium Platinum Package
- Backup Camera
- Rear Bumper Receiver (to be converted to 2" after receipt)
- Anderson Hitch
- Aluminum Storage Basket
- Basement Door
- No GraphicsYour selections are very similar to ours, just a few differences. We didn't go with the upholstery upgrade either as it seemed slippery to us. We had cloth in our last trailer and prefer cloth interiors in our cars too. You're quite close now to delivery day. I love the back up camera and being able to see what's behind the trailer while driving, but also find that my stock mirrors on our Ford Expedition work quite well too. Enjoy your new trailer when it arrives. They're great trailers.
John
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Welcome Rich and Christine. I second Patriot's suggestion to stay in the area for a few days. It's so tempting to get it and high tail it back home. We picked up #1290 in November and tried everything out. We had one issue that I didn't address at the time. I had smelled an odd odor, but I mistakenly thought it was just new furnace smells. It was a small propane leak. It's being fixed now, but it was a two month wait to get it into a local shop here. Lesson here is to be very thorough on pick up, test everything, and if anything is not quite right, address it before leaving Hohenwald. Oliver is paying the local shop to fix it, so it's great knowing that once you leave, they still take care of you. It's a good company. Great choice for your first trailer. There's a lot of junk out there! Happy travels.
John
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2 hours ago, Rivernerd said:
Time will tell.
I registered all of our Truma products, to extend the warranty from one to two years. Logically, a simple filter, using purpose-built filter fabric, should extend, not shorten furnace life. But, after 35 years of litigation practice, it does not surprise me when companies latch on to any excuse to deny warranty coverage. On balance, I would rather try to protect the furnace I have, and take the warranty denial risk, than leave it unprotected and rely on the warranty. In any event, Murphy's Law suggests that the furnace will fail two years and one month after purchase!
What does Truma say? I would check if they have some sort of filter product for the Varioheat. Maybe you already did that and hence your filter. What if you put some filter material on the air grill on the trailer on the inside since that's where most of the dust will come from. Just thinking of possibilities since we have the same furnace.
John
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5 hours ago, Rivernerd said:
Do they drive the side of the trailer with flipped shackle(s) lengthwise over the 4x4, using it like a curb in John Davies' example?
I would think that placing the 4x4 piece at a 90° right in front of the tire with the flipped axle would do it. That 4x4 would only need to be just a little longer than the tire width when the tire is being flattened by going over that 4x4. If I understand your question, I don't think you would need a 3 or 4 foot 4x4 to have it act as a curb length.
John
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3 hours ago, ScottyGS said:
I got a platform ladder specifically to get up top on the trailer. Three points of contact at all times and keep your belt buckle between the rails. And go slow. Or better yet.. don't go at all.
When I was drywalling our daughter's garage, I bought a 10-12 foot 2x12 and placed it about mid way up between two step ladders. Her garage ceilings are 10 feet high. Granted that's a stable floor surface, but I wonder if something like that might work. You just have to be very cognizant of your feet at all times. Just thinking of possibilities.
John
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Our three kids always enjoyed camping when they were growing up. We tented initially then moved up to first a used pop up trailer, then a new pop up. I am looking forward to taking our grandson camping with our LE2. He just turned one so it won't be immediately.
John
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On 1/9/2023 at 6:50 PM, Mainiac said:
I signed up. Now they issued me a long ID#. And a password? May have to bow out? Just seems like a hassle somehow?
Usually you can choose to save user name (apparently a number in this case) and password, or just user name and supply the password. On things other than my Cayman Island or Swiss bank accounts, I opt for the KISS method and just save as much as they allow for ease of logging in. I would be surprised if there's not an easy way to just save log in information.
John
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51 minutes ago, topgun2 said:
Are we all talking about the same form here?
I agree with JW - with the agreement that is referenced by Rivernerd above it seems to me that both Oliver and the Trailer Owner are "protected", but, it is the Prospective buyer that is the one who bears the weight of legal expenses, etc. Perhaps, if I was a prospective buyer I might have a bit of concern about signing.
Bill
True that too, Bill. But then think of all the things we sign up for everywhere that have pages of legal statements that very few of us read. When you sign up for phone service even! You probably missed the part where if someone from Mars lands and takes your phone that you won't hold the phone company liable for loss of use.
John
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37 minutes ago, Rivernerd said:
Here is a link to the "Review and Sign" page that Matt sent me yesterday.
It looks to me that it's thorough and protects both OTT and the owner showing their trailer. I am not an attorney, but it seems to cross every "t" and dot every "i".
John
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56 minutes ago, MDuncan said:
For now the activities are...
- Show Your Oliver to a Qualified Prospect When Requested by Oliver (You get paid for just showing it now) - $50 at Bronze & Silver tiers, $75 at Gold tier, and $100 at Platinum tier.
- Prospect Purchases after Qualified Field Visit Requested by Oliver - You get $200 for Bronze and Silver tiers, $300 for gold tier, and $400 for Platinum tier.
- Refer a Qualified Friend or Family Member that Purchases an Oliver - If the prospect has never contacted Oliver previously and you introduce them to the brand and they purchase a new Oliver, you will get the reward amount for the prospect purchasing a new Oliver (depending on the tier you are in. See bullet #2) and you will get a $250 bonus. This activity can be completed by Oliver trailer owners or non-owners.
We plan to add more activities to earn more reward dollars in the future.
You can find all the details here: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/rewards-program/
Matt, I will study this program some more. Initially, I was skeptical of it, but you have gone the extra mile to explain it. I may change my mind and willingly participate. Rivernerd brought up a good point about liability which if reviewed and revised to everyone's satisfaction, we may get more owners willing to participate. Thanks for explaining the program to us. Have a great week.
John
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My first impression was $20/year for a credit card that I don't want! No thanks. Lots of legal mumbo jumbo that I didn't want to wade through. Not too excited about this program. Maybe if a lot of us opt out of the program, they will come up with one that's a bit more user friendly. Sort of like going on strike. The company needs willing owners to show their trailers. I have no issue with showing our trailer, but at first glance of this program, I don't feel inclined to do it in this fashion. If someone stops by at a campground I can answer questions or show them. I made sure that the two people that showed their trailers to us got credit when we picked up our trailer. Hopefully they were compensated. My basic feeling...not thrilled about it.
John
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1 hour ago, Rivernerd said:
Yes. But, I recommend carrying a 1-Gallon Ziploc bag in which to enclose the connection between the 30A two cords. Cut a hole in the side opposite the bag opening for one cord, tape up that hole with Goorilla tape, insert the cord connections, and press the other side closed. This helps keep rain water and condensation out of the open connection between the cords.
Great idea!
John
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30 minutes ago, topgun2 said:
I'll bet that 50 footer is one heavy puppy.
Since the need for an extension cord is so rare (at least for me its only been one time in 7 years) I bought a 30 foot 10 gauge regular extension cord. Its lighter, smaller and will still allow me to run the a/c if needed.
For John's application something smaller would do (as pointed out in a couple of the posts above) as long as the use of the a/c was controlled and monitored. AS far as the original cord being used - I'd make sure that it had UV protection applied to it at least every couple of months.
Bill
"AS far as the original cord being used - I'd make sure that it had UV protection applied to it at least every couple of months."
Bill, how is that done? We live on a north facing hill and have sun on the trailer area only about half the day due to some tall fir trees, so it's not as solar intensive, but I would be interested in what UV protection you use. Thanks.
John
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2 hours ago, Steph and Dud B said:
Even though you could attach a smaller gauge cable to 30 amp connectors, I'd be hesitant to do so. Someday down the road someone could grab the wrong cord and fire up the A/C, risking overheating the cable and a fire. I just don't like mismatching amp ratings between wire and connectors (unless the wire capacity is greater than the connectors).
And, yes, I understand that's what we're doing when we use something like a 30A to 15A adapter, but I feel like that's a bit different because we can see the adapter and know that the capacity has been derated. How about something like this for use at home: Leisure Cords 90 Degree 15' Power/Extension Cord with 30 AMP Male Standard / 30 AMP Female 90 Degree Locking Adapter (30 Amp - 15 Foot) https://a.co/d/ewDztDt
Thanks. I think that I will get that. I want to reserve my supplied power cord for camping use and using that 15 foot cord will save wear on my 25 foot cord due to weather. It also might come in handy for those rare times when we might need more than 25 feet to reach the pedestal. I assume that I could use both cords together in those cases.
John
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1 hour ago, Mike and Carol said:
I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. The cord that came with you trailer is nothing special, there are after market cords that do the same. I got another cord without the locking lug that I carry to extend the reach of my locking cord if needed. We’ve had a few sites where our standard cord didn’t reach and the extension made the difference. Mike
Good to know that occasionally you need an extension.
John
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Hi all, strange question, but our trailer is parked by the garage and I am using the OTT power cord plugged into our new 30 amp outlet that we had installed for the storage time. Should I have a different cord for that purpose? It's maybe 15 feet to the outlet. I just wonder if having my trailer power cord exposed to the elements for 5-6 months is wise. Maybe I should get a cord that's shorter for storage season and leaving the "good" power cord for actual use camping. TIA.
John
Lithium batteries
in Welcome To The Oliver Travel Trailer Forums
Posted
I would just leave the battery warmer switch on for a while until you're out of the cold temperatures. It won't come on unless it's cold. Can you just keep plugged into shore power?
John