DavidS

Mystery of the Hull Number and the Vin Number... I think the Hull Number of the Washington trailer is between 220 and 229, probably 221. The Wikipedia page on VIN numbers says that there are 17 digits. I have my VIN number shown below, with two positions hidden with an “x”. Positions 1-3 and 12-14 together are the manufacturer identifier, with positions 1-2 also limited by country. Position 1 must be a "1" for vehicles built in the US. For a small manufacturer like Oliver, position 3 must be a "9." Digits 4-8 are a Vehicle Identifier. Digit 9 is a Check Digit. Digit 10 is Model Year. Digit 11 is an Assembly Plant code. Digits 15-17 are a Sequential Number, our Hull numbers. When I take the VIN number of the Washington trailer, it clearly does not align. As Randy and Overland noted, Hull 522 can not be correct. However if I slide the VIN number over 1 position, it fits pretty well. Digits 4-8 are a vehicle identifier. I bet BC232 represents an Elite II, maybe twin bed. Digit 10 is the model year. Mine is G=2016, which is correct according to Wikipedia, and the Washington trailer is H=2017. If I remove the “1” at the beginning of the Washington trailer VIN and move it to the end, I get Hull 221. I looked thru the Forum Members, and I found five Hull numbers between 220 and 229, none being Hull 221. Four of these Forum Members list a location far from Washington, and the fifth does not list a location. In searching thru the list of Forum Users, I found a VIN number from a 2015 Oliver, and it has F, which is correct. It has BC232 as vehicle identifier, and it is an Elite II twin bed. BTW, position 2, part of the World Manufacturer Identifier, is different for all three trailers.

Oliver gets their mattresses from Mobile Sleep Components. Web site is https://mobilesleepcomponents.com/mattresses/ We got the 10 inch twin (30 inch wide) mattresses, and we have been very happy with them.

It was not obvious to me as to how to do this. This site helped me. http://noshockzone.org/generator-ground-neutral-bonding/

A neutral ground bonding plug is needed to solve this problem. Maybe John found one in his drawers, but we did not have one when we picked up our Ollie. This is covered in a post from Tommy Staggs, along with ScubaRx's low cost solution: http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/generator-use-with-hard-wired-surge-protector/

I agree with others that Justin should check out Technomadia. I particularly recommend their post on Conducting an Energy Audit.

Oliver gets their graphics colors from ORAFAL. The ORACAL brand web site lists a lot more color choices. We chose from this list.

I was mistaken in my post. I thought John was asking about a strainer for the KITCHEN sink. I did not read his title carefully. The strainer I bought fits the Kitchen sink perfectly. It is too large for the bathroom sink. Sorry for my mistake.....

We got this strainer from Amazon for $3. Fits perfectly. We got a second one for the shower stall, in place of the stopper. The strainer is an Amazon Add-on item, and the page shows a “related item” for $4.75 that is not an Add-on.

Many use a pickup to tow their Oliver, but an SUV works better for us for our non-trailering needs. Additionally, a pickup would not fit in our garage. I searched the Trailer Life Towing Guides and looked for vehicles with significant towing capacity. After a lot of research we purchased an Audi Q7, which has which has a maximum permissible trailer weight of 7,700 lbs. The car is really nice, and it is a dream in pulling the Oliver. We have pulled the Ollie up steep hills, and the car has plenty of power. Don commented on decreased cargo capacity of an SUV compared to a truck. While the cargo in cubic feet is probably less, the access is better in an SUV, since you can get at stuff from either the rear hatch or the side doors. That is an advantage. On our last trip we got a roof box, which gives us much more cargo room, and the advantage of two distinct storage domains. Certain things are stowed in the roof box, others in the car, making it easier to find things. David

There are a number of issues that have been discussed in this thread. 1) Quality Control during the trailer build, especially as Oliver has ramped up production. 2) Communication problems between the sales office and the factory. 3) Potential design flaws in the tanks. 1) Quality Control. We found only a couple of problems in our unit. One of these is a mis-aligned bathroom door latch. We returned to the factory the next day, and they spent an hour trying to fix it quickly, but were not successful. Their solution would be to dismantle and reassemble the door and frame, which they estimated would be four hours. We elected to live with it, as we had camping reservations in Missouri that night, and we needed to return home to Utah for our full time jobs. The Lesson, as several people have advised here, is to plan to spend several days nearby. We did not, and I wish we had. We discovered several other problems after we returned home. Each time Oliver shipped us parts, and for one of the items, offered to pay a local RV shop to perform the installation. That offer shows commitment to the customer and the product. As it turned out, I was able to install things myself. 2) Communication problems. Canoe12 mentioned the problem of the awning that was the wrong color after they made a change order. We had similar issues, where we made several changes subsequent to our initial build order. These changes were listed on the revised excel order sheet the sales office emailed me, but they failed to communicate these changes to the factory. This is a Systems problem, one which I hope Oliver will address. The Lesson for buyers is to specifically ask the sales office staff to communicate these changes to the factory. 3) Potential design flaws in the tanks. I don’t think the tank design has changed between my 2016 unit and the Lukens’ 2017 unit. Grey and black tanks. We have had no problems draining the grey and black tanks, once we learned to raise the nose of the trailer when draining. I did post about the monitor calibration for the grey tank, and how it was not really linear. My solution is to post my graph of Monitor Reading vs Percent Full on the inside of the pantry door, so I can infer a true reading. I did enough research on tank monitors before we decided on the Oliver to know that the See Level Monitor is the best in the industry. Fresh water tank. We have not had the problems that the Lukens describe with the fresh water tank. The problem the Lukens describe will only be apparent when boondocking, and not when using hookups. On our last boondocking trip, we drained our tank to a monitor reading of probably 15-20% capacity, when we went to get more water and pumped it into the tank. I think the Lukens are describing a problem unique to their unit, and I hope it is an easy fix. Thus, in my opinion, this is not a systematic problem or a design flaw. David

No, the bikes do not get very dirty, from my limited experience with bikes in the back of an Ollie, and from greater experience with bikes mounted behind a car. David

When I started researching bike racks for the back of the Oliver, like Don Thompson who started this thread, I found that for many bike racks, mounting them on a towed vehicle voids the warranty. I wondered why, and I searched the internet with terms like “catastrophic bike rack failure trailer.” There are lots of examples and discussions on trailer forums. Most (all?) of these failures are on stickbuilt trailers, where they have bolted a receiver hitch onto a possibly flimsy bumper. And catastrophic failure can occur. After seeing this, I figured that the lawyers for Thule and Yakima were simply doing their jobs and voiding the warranties when the racks are on trailers. I felt that the Oliver bike rack was much stronger, and I would take my chances. After my research I decided on the Yakima Holdup bike rack that fits into a receiver hitch, and I am quite happy with it. I have the rear view camera, and I can see the rack as the car travels, and the rack and the bikes are remarkably stable. The new Oliver design for a rear bike rack that Yvonne & Doug posted pictures of looks very good; it was not available when we ordered our unit. However my reason for posting here is that for some people there is a good rationale for a standard bike rack. I am an experienced bike rider. I commute to work by bike and I did cycle touring multiple summers. I am comfortable riding on many kinds of roads. My wife, in contrast, is happiest riding on an empty road with wide shoulders; even better is a protected bike path. So for us, the campground may be on a poor road by my wife’s preferences. However, if we transfer the bike rack from the trailer to the tow vehicle, we can transport the bikes to a more desirable bike path. We camped at a BLM campground last month near Moab. The road was narrow with no shoulders. However, eight miles away there was a great bike path along the Colorado River. Some photos enclosed. There is a bridge across the Colorado River for bikes and pedestrians, and at each of the bridge piers there are wonderful sculptures of rock and steel. David

I am happy with the Yakima Holdup Bike Rack so far. I have the rear view camera, and I can see the rack as the car travels, and the rack and the bikes are remarkably stable. Longest trip with the bikes was 500 miles, round trip. I am going to post some comments on the bike rack on this thread: http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/how-are-you-transporting-bicycles/ David

Before I hook up to shore power I test both the voltage and the circuit wiring. This website describes a simple device to do this http://www.myrv.us/electric/Pg/tester_30amp.htm I ordered all the parts for this device from Amazon for about $25. https://www.amazon.com/Camco-55233-Electrical-PowerGrip-Adapter/dp/B00192QB3I https://www.amazon.com/Globe-Electric-46505-Single-Tap-Grounded/dp/B007XQORTO https://www.amazon.com/Prime-Products-12-4055-Voltage-Meter/dp/B002P48KLK https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Outlet-Tester/dp/B000RUL2UU I keep the testing device in the box with by 30Amp connector cable, and use it each time. David

Last month we were at Costco and saw the Outland Mega Propane Fire Pit for $99. Amazon has this model for $160, although right now it is $130. I had not seen these so I read about them when I got home. The reviews are impressive. You don’t get smoke in your face and clothes with these. The flames are pretty to watch and it gives off good heat. So we bought it, brought it home, and I carefully unboxed it. This is the Mega model with a 24 inch diameter, and we decided it was too large for our needs. So I boxed it back up like new and returned it. We then bought the 18 inch model from Amazon for $130. LOL, we paid more for the smaller version! Go figure, this 18 inch model is currently $160 at Amazon. (I can’t figure out Amazon price changes, but if you want to follow the price of an item over time check out https://camelcamelcamel.com, where you can also set up alerts for price drops.) We used the Outland Propane Firebowl on our trip last weekend, and it was great. You can sit fairly close to get the warmth, closer than I would with a regular fire. I swapped out the propane hose for one that uses quick connect. I think the propane firepit takes up less room in the tow vehicle that the box of firewood we took to Moab in April. There is one major advantage to the Propane Firebowl over a regular fire. We made fires every night when we were in Moab last month at a BLM campground without water, and we had to use water to make sure the fire was completely out before retiring for the night. We were boondocking, and water is a precious commodity to use for putting out a fire. David

The Weber Q series are very good. We have a Q1000, and it is better than any portable BBQ we have ever used. The Weber grills are not set up to connect to the propane quick connect, but there is an easy fix from this earlier post. http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/ordering-new-oliver/#post-34473

We have had our Oliver only since last September, and many of the RV systems are new to us. One issue is the Grey Tank. We take one short shower and wash a few dishes and the Grey Tank is half full. Since we were camping at a State Park with full hookups, I decided to do an experiment to test the calibration of the Grey Water Monitor. I did the experiment with the trailer completely level. I emptied the Grey Tanks, and the Monitor read 13. I then filled a 5 gallon bucket with water and poured it into the shower drain. Monitor reads 44! Only 5 gallons, and it reads 44! Pour another five gallons into the drain, record the monitor. Repeat. When I had poured 25 gallons into the system the monitor read 100. I could only pour about 3 more gallons into the drain before the tank was full and water backed up into the shower pan. Thus the total amount of water I could add was 28 gallons. Since the Oliver Grey Tank has a 35.5 gallon capacity, I assume that the tank was not fully drained, and it still had 7.5 gallons still in the tank at the start of the experiment. So I am not crazy. We add five gallons to the (nearly) empty Grey Tank, and the Monitor reads 44, but it is only 35% full. I did this experiment with the trailer level, because the trailer is level when I Monitor Grey Tank usage. I have noticed that when I empty the Grey Tanks with the nose elevated, the Monitor reads zero, but whenever I empty with the trailer level, the Monitor reads 13. Lesson: Empty tanks with nose elevated… Lesson two: I do not need to panic if the Monitor reads 80, it is only 2/3 full. My experiment is not perfect. I used a line on my bucket as the 5 gallon mark, and that may not be completely accurate. I could repeat the experiment with the tank fully emptied, but my wife already gave me grief about wasting 30 gallons of fresh water. My questions: Have others experienced this problem? Is there an easy fix, short of a 1650 mile drive to Hohenwald? Finally, we camped at Kodachrome Basin State Park, which was lovely. Highly recommended. They take reservations at the campground, and we reserved a site with hookups. 15 of the 34 sites have hookups. The site we had with hookups was really nice. But if we go again I would reserve one of the non-hookup sites on the edge of the campground. These sites are very pretty and really private. David

You could use a camouflage cover to hide it. :) http://www.homedepot.com/p/Honda-Camo-Cover-for-EU2000i-Generator-08P57-Z07-00G/207000454 edit. I do not have a generator basket. Hopefully someone with this option will chime in with the dimensions.

Yes, you plug the cable into the truck, and then plug the trailer plug into the receptacle on the 57003. On my vehicle the spring loaded door on the receptacle has a protrusion that locks the seven pin cable in place. The spring loaded door on the 57003 has a similar protrusion to lock the cable in place. If I had it to do over again I would go with the Tow Ready 20142. The cable on the Camco 57003 is too long. To reduce the slack and prevent the connector box from hitting the ground I used cable ties to attach the excess cable to the trailer. I had already purchased the Camco 57003 when I found info on the Tow Ready 20142 online, and I am not shelling out another $25 for cable aesthetics.

While I do not tow with an F-150, I had the same problem with my Audi Q7. Internet research says that, yes, it is is the LED lights not pulling enough current, and that this is common with European cars. I am surprised that it came up on an F-150, especially suddenly. My solution was a CURT 57003 7-Way RV Blade LED Electrical Adapter. It solved my Trailer Lights Disconnected error message. I later found a smaller version, the Tow Ready 20142 7-Way Flat Pin to 7-Flat Adapter.

Grey Ghost, Blue Sky Technical support said in an email: Equalization is factory default to "OFF", you would need to enable equalization by turning on a DIP switch on the controller, DIP # vary on which controller you are utilizing. When I mentioned that the IPN Pro Remote still shows the parameters dealing with equalization, they replied. Yes, the IPNPRO will still show the setting, but it will not allow equalization. Even if you press "Equalize now", nothing will happen without the DIP ON. Factory default is for it to be OFF. The instruction manual for the Blue Sky Energy Solar Boost 2512i(X)-HV (you may have a different model) says: If DIP switch #4 is turned OFF equalization is completely disabled regardless of other equalization settings. If DIP switch #4 is turned ON prior to the application of battery power, automatic equalization is enabled and the SB2512iX will perform automatic equalization after the set number of Auto Equalize Days has elapsed. If DIP switch #4 is turned ON, after battery power is applied an equalization cycle will begin immediately. Equalization start/stop may also be remotely controlled from the IPN-ProRemote or UCM. I doubt Oliver turned on this DIP switch, and if you have not, then your equalization is off.

When I picked up my trailer Tommy Staggs did only one piece of programming for the Blue Sky during my orientation. He changed the Set Battery Amp Hours from the default of 220 AH to 400 AH, for my AGM batteries. I know this because Anita had suggested that I videotape as much of my orientation as possible because there is so much information to take in, and I recently reviewed this video when I was learning more about the Blue Sky system. I strongly recommend people follow Anita's advice when picking up your Oliver!

John recommended FileBrowser, and I recommended GoodReader. For those who want to try a similar app for free, File Manager Pro App is normally $4.99 but available for free for a limited time. Excellent reviews. https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id558270538?mt=8

Great minds think alike. I also contacted Trojan and Blue Sky. Great technical support. Ryan Gurin at Blue Sky said that Equalization is factory default to "OFF", you would need to enable equalization by turning on a DIP switch on the controller, DIP # vary on which controller you are utilizing. Even if you press "Equalize now", nothing will happen without the DIP ON.

This may be a dumb question, but why should I worry about re-packing wheel bearings? I have owned cars for 45 yeaers and I never recall needing work on wheel bearings on a car. Are trailer wheels different or under greater stress or carry greater weight? Thamks.