KarenLukens
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Posts posted by KarenLukens
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Nice job…I really like your modifications & additions! I’m going to check out your wifi set up for sure. We have had the TeakWorks4u shower mat on our ‘wants’ list since we ordered our Ollie….great to see one in an Oliver! Are your 22# propane tanks larger/taller than the standard steel 20# tanks? We currently have 30# tanks in ours – the weight difference is awesome. Thanks for sharing!
Using the shower mat really depends on how tall of people will be showering. At 6'1" we took ours out and gave it away because I could no longer stand up in the bathroom, I prefer the bare white floor for the most room when using the bathroom, plus it's a quick rinse if you bring mud in.
Reed
Did you put your awning crank in the closet Cobra?
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The Elite has the 200watt, the Elite II has 320watt. At this point and time, personally I would not buy the Zamp Solar System because there are many other better systems that sell for a more reasonable price elsewhere. The Zamp system is overpriced at $2800 installed on the Oliver and it doesn't do the job for us. Others are happy with it but do a search here and do some reading. I would go with a 480watt minimum to start.
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How far from the trailer do you want to be?
I have 2 - 10' Camco extension hoses extra with an 8' lead off of my fire pit.
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Sounds like the pressure because that's what really makes a difference. It could use more pressure from the pump but when hooked up to 60lbs it's great. I prefer the less pressure when boondocking. I have a handle that I use to flush while sitting and depending on the water situation, I sometimes flush first while still sitting with the pump off, then turn off the pump, clean and flush after. Try putting 2 to 3 inches of water in the bottom of the bowl first for best results.
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Both of those restaraunts are well worth the stop. Have you ever had cajon crawdad Sushi? That's one of the choices at the Eat Well Sushi buffet. They have low reviews on service but that's from people that don't understand buffets, I guess... You simply get your own, we had a great time, both times with hundreds of choices, no complaints here. Then Yats sold us a bunch for take out that we ate on for a few days, we ordered one and ended up with 3 of the one pound plastic jars of their different creoles as they were closing for the night. Then they also sell their brand of Cajon seasoning that we use all the time now :)
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Did you just solder on a ground wire to the 7 pin? My batteries haven't charged since day one...
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I thought I’d read that in the past, Oliver would put you up for the night at the Commodore the night before. Did they stop doing that?
They will pay for extended stays at the Commodor when there are problems, your on your own getting to the factory to pick up.
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Honestly, I would pull gently from one corner to remove the blinds and feel them come out. Even going slow, we found that some of the screws had been stripped at the factory and left dangling... Like many other screws in our trailer... If we would have just pulled from the middle, half of the mounts would have finished ripping out after being stripped forward when installed...
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Hello I am seeking input on the Dometic RM 2454 refrigerator that is installed in the Elite II trailer. Does the refer keep the temperature at or below 40 degrees F (perishables safe). when the ambient air temps are above 85 Degrees ?
We had the same problem on our recent trip to the Olympic Peninsula. Our first night was in Huntington, OR where it was 104°F, and then two nights in Yakima, WA where it was in the high 80’s. The fridge certainly did not maintain temperatures below 40°F, more like 46-49°F. The freezer stayed well below 32°F, probably 20°F, but certainly not the desired 0°F. We had electric hookups while camping and we ran the fridge on propane while driving. I read thru the instruction manual, and turned on the auxiliary fan. I don’t know whether using the fan helped. Moving to cooler climes certainly solved the problem. Raptor posted about this problem, but it appears not to be a common problem?
When your having fridge cooling problems, always switch to propane, it is the only stable and reliable cooling platform. Electric AC and DC will only maintain the fridge at best when it's in the 80°s or lower where propane will do a good job at keeping it cool where you want it even over 100°. You will need to set it on 5 for sure in those temps, but we usually run it on 4 the rest of the time or 3 in cold weather :)
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Eat Well Sushi and Grill in Memphis, TN had a great Sushi buffet, we ate there both going and coming home. Then in Franklin, TN there was Yats, a Cajon Creole restraunt that expanded from Louisiana that was to die for :) We stayed at the Comodore and the staff was excellent. It's an old historic hotel where you walk upstairs to your room. It's about 30 easy minutes away and it makes for an easy relaxed morning drive. You park right in front of the hotel and it's totally quiet and safe :)
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But I suppose you could get into a situation trying to get over the Siskiyous to get home.
Exactly... You're going to want low profile. I'm not talking about getting out of a campsite, I'm talking about during chain control when there's not much of anything on the road as far as ice and snow. We pulled a friend's trailer home last year during the big flood, she didn't have chains, so I took the back road with light snow and had no problems, she was really happy to have her trailer back and it wasn't a big deal to tow it over the summit in the snow. That's when we were down by you guys last winter. I'm not wanting to put chains on to get out of a dirt camp site, just trying to obey the laws when they want me to chain up on the freeway or when dealing with ice. I have 2 snow plows and 2 snow blowers here at the house... I've driven in snow before and I even own real live snow shovels... I also used to have to park at the top of the hill and walk up to the car every morning during the winter but now I'm retired :)
Reed
Lots of good times up here on Lukens Mountain :)
I had to walk up hill in the snow both ways :)
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The z style is ok I guess but I usually go with the diamond pattern for a smoother ride. They are harder to put on cars because you have to roll and retighten but being that you can jack the Oliver up off of the ground, I'm thinking that they will go on easy enough and tight the first time. Chaining up is a way of life in some places and every car is different. I don't have a problem towing in chain control areas when needed but it's not something that I really prefer because there are too many others out there driving with no experience. Unless someone has a reason for me to not go with a low profile diamond pattern, I will be grabbing some this week for our next rally. There shouldn't be snow but there already has been a dusting the other day, and once it ices up, it looks like this year will be a cold one here.
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The pic shows the black valve but the grey valve is the same. You can pull up on the pin pictured to dump the tank with a pair of pliers or grab the plastic cable cover with your hand out at the dump valve compartment and pull the handle while letting the wire slide thru the cable to open the valve. Then just hold the cable cover again to close it :)
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Rain is what convinced us to buy the Elite II... After 30 days of rain on the Oregon Coast, we really needed something bigger then our Casita, but otherwise rain doesn't really slow us down that much. Depending on the wind that comes with it, our awning will be full out and tied down if needed or out just enough to keep it from blowing off. Rainy days are something that we really enjoy because with everything wet, the colors are always amazing. So mostly we go for drives, see new things and leave the trailer secured for the weather. It's rained and snowed a bunch so far on Goldilocks and we have never been bored. We play cards and hunker down if it's really windy with the rain but that's unusual. We've had it snow a few times so far and that may set us back a day sometimes, but chaining up and keeping our plans is always an option. I have not bought the cables to put on the Olli yet and that time of year is here. We got our first snow of the year on the last day of summer, the 20th, but it was just a dusting and melted off quickly. It was 35° here last night and we were comfy and cozy here in our Olli :)
What kind of tire cables do you use on your trailer?
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We haven't put a recliner in but we put 2 chairs in, one in the entry, then one in the isle by the drawers, then sit 2 people on the couch for playing cards with a folding table in the isle that slides under the bed for storage.
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Go Truma:) We love ours!
Congratulations :)
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Nice :) I've heard others talk about their battery tray being able to slide up to 3/4" by itself like John's and our 2017 tray is solid with no play when locked in. I don't know what year they changed to the new tray, but your picks really show the difference. This will lead the way for others to get theirs replaced before failure hopefully :)
How much did the new rack cost?
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Thanks for the input on the battery! The 2018 Ford Expedition actually has a tow capacity of 9,300 lbs, unless I’m really misreading the specs! It’s one of the reasons we chose the Ford. I think the current Expedition is 9,200 lbs. Yeah, I defintely wouldn’t want an SUV that could tow only 6,600. I’d love the Mercedes that you have, but I suspect it might be out of my price range.
It's only 9300lbs with a weight distribution hitch, without its 6400lbs now give or take :)
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After veering off for the summer and looking at T@B’s, the LGMax, and then a 16′ Airstream Sport we are back with the 18.5′ Oliver. Seems the only trailer that will perform to our needs. We watched a youtube video starring the couple with the LEII and George was complaining a little bit about the Andersen No-Sway Hitch system. He says it is very hard to hook up to if the TV and trailer are not perfectly aligned. He does not think he even needs it now that they have logged so many miles. Anyone have any advice to share? Also, what about the inverter? I understand they are very important to have. True? What about the factory solar package vs a mobile one? Some sales consultants believe having a mobile solar suitcase is better so you can park your trailer in the shade. My brother wants me to get a Netgear WiFi extender N600 in lieu of Oliver’s WiFi booster. What do you think? Any other helpful experiences you can share with us would be appreciated. Getting ready to pull the trigger.
You won't need the Anderson No-Sway Hitch, especially on the 18.5' trailer.
The inverter? Yup we use ours daily and it's paid for itself. Randy nailed it for that answer above.
As far as the solar goes, the Zamp package that they are pawning off is really overpriced and you can get a much better system installed by a Solar company. Plus, I believe that the Elite has only 2 batteries to begin with, so you're going to want a good MPPT Solar System like the Blue Sky that many people sell complete with the shunt and IPN remote for far less then the $2800.00 high price tag that Oliver is charging for their incomplete system. Why do I say it's incomplete? Because the Zamp system doesn't have a shunt, so you can't get the complete read out on battery percentages, amp draw, etc... without one. All good quality Solar Systems use a Shunt to get the readings needed to be able to completely monitor your batteries in every way. Any system without a shunt is incomplete garbage...
I copied and pasted this from one of my other answers on the Zamp Solar. - "The problem that we are finding is that in order for an old school PWM system like the Zamp to compare with the Blue Sky or any other MPPT, is that people need to always add a 3rd pannel to make up the difference. We have found that the 320watt pannels with the Zamp controller just isn’t enough. Oliver is now adding in a Zamp auxiliary plug in Port on the side of the trailer but in reality, they need to be adding a 3rd 160watt pannel to the roof of all of the new trailers. And this is the BIG difference between the 2 types of systems. The 320watts of solar pannels ran fine and is recommended with the Blue Sky but by changing to a cheap Zamp controller they didn’t finish the system by adding the other 160watt pannel to the roof to bring it up to 480watts, which is what is needed with a PWM system.
Either way you look at it, Oliver had the perfect system set up for the 2 160watt pannels that they put on the roof for the Blue Sky system. Now, we need to either upgrade to 3 160watt pannels on the roof, which will add that much more weight to the roof… Change out the Zamp controller for an MPPT, which will add the weight back under the street side bed, or carry àn external ground based 160watt Solar system that needs to be set up on the ground, which will add the extra weight plus an added controller to the tow vehicle.
We have added the 100watt Solar Suitcase to our Olli and still it just isn’t quite enough to fully charge the batteries most of the time. But it adds 100 of the needed 160watts back into the system and really helps us out."
Now for you RB, with only 2 batteries and depending on the amount of extra space that you have to haul extras, maybe a mobile system will be all that you need. As you can see from my above quote, I have both systems, one on the roof and one mobile. If you go with the rooftop mount then try to get a 480watt+ system if it will fit. Also research and see if you can add batteries anywhere, maybe up behind the propane tanks. 2 batteries will be fine if it's just you but if you add in a wife, etc... you will want as many as you can get. We sold our Casita with one battery because it wouldn't run a CPAP all night and hold a charge. As far as other options go, if you are a do it yourselfer, then install the options that you want yourself. So far we have had numerous electrical issues with ours and it has all been due to poor workmanship on Olivers electricians part. Having Oliver install the options could be a good thing, but it's just not, some of their employee's really don't care about the job that they do these days. If you have read my blog, you will read about most of the issues that we have had. Now we have an electrical problem in the front jack and last night our upper cabinet lights went out. I've been working on this trailer non stop it feels like since we picked it up in February, BUT!!! I really enjoy getting to know everything inside and out, and I'm really happy that we bought our Oliver and I enjoy that feeling of fixing something and knowing that it has now been done the right way :) Like the watertank fix, the sewerline fix, the fridge fan fix, etc... Besides, it's a trailer and they will always need constant maintenance. I have a few videos also listed in the video section of my profile page, they're more technical and not just opening drawers and doors and they will give you some more insight into what you will find under the hood so to speak...
<span style="line-height: inherit;">Reed</span>
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Checking the water levels and adding water is no big deal. I also bought the Hydrolink watering system for resale value and honestly, it is nice and a clean way to fill the batteries but only needing to use it every 3 to 6 months kind of defeats the purpose. I would by the Hydrolink again myself though just for ease of use, but realistically it's not needed :)
As far as the Expedition goes, with a 6600lb towing capacity, there are better choices out there like the Lincoln Navigator with a 7700lb towing capacity if you like the Ford style or we really love our Mercedes and a Mercedes GL would be the Expedition equivalent but with a 7500lb tow capacity. Personally, I would buy the Lincoln over the Ford because of the much higher towing capacity.
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Riffles stayed with us throughout the day, it wasn't an issue and they made sure that he felt at home also. It was a full day either way and as long as your dog is trained to stay with you on or off leash, all is good :)
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Routlaw – from what I was told the change was made primarily because “most” owners didn’t need or want the advanced features and complicated nature of the old system. Zamp was deemed to be of a more user friendly design. Bill
That's what we were told also, but the problem that we are finding is that in order for an old school PWM system like the Zamp to compare with the Blue Sky or any other MPPT, is that people need to always add a 3rd pannel to make up the difference. We have found that the 320watt pannels with the Zamp controller just isn't enough. Oliver is now adding in a Zamp auxiliary plug in Port on the side of the trailer but in reality, they need to be adding a 3rd 160watt pannel to the roof of all of the new trailers. And this is the BIG difference between the 2 types of systems. The 320watts of solar pannels ran fine and is recommended with the Blue Sky but by changing to a cheap Zamp controller they didn't finish the system by adding the other 160watt pannel to the roof to bring it up to 480watts, which is what is needed with a PWM system.
Either way you look at it, Oliver had the perfect system set up for the 2 160watt pannels that they put on the roof for the Blue Sky system. Now, we need to either upgrade to 3 160watt pannels on the roof, which will add that much more weight to the roof... Change out the Zamp controller for an MPPT, which will add the weight back under the street side bed, or carry àn external ground based 160watt Solar system that needs to be set up on the ground, which will add the extra weight plus an added controller to the tow vehicle.
We have added the 100watt Solar Suitcase to our Olli and still it just isn't quite enough to fully charge the batteries most of the time. But it adds 100 of the needed 160watts back into the system and really helps us out.
I need to make the phone call to Oliver because I'm flat out not satisfied with the Zamp PWM system being that we paid for the Blue Sky... If the Zamp system worked and was put in properly with the 3rd pannel, I wouldn't have an issue... But it wasn't! So I've spent many hours researching why our $2800.00 overpriced Zamp Soler system doesn't work and that's the simple answer. You need to add the 3rd pannel to bring it up and match the quality and output of the Blue Sky system...
Honestly, I don't recommend anyone buy the new Oliver Solar package option because there are way better complete working packages available everywhere else for less then half of the price, and this is what I tell everyone who asks about our trailer. The bait and switch tactics of the sales office this year, really has caused so many issues with so many of us new owners, and switching out the Blue Sky system with no notice and charging us the same amount of money for a system of far less quality and incomplete absolutely tops our list of complaints!!!
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I have heard from a customer that my unit of was done. She said it was waiting decals. I am waiting the call from the factory that that is so. Guess it was fortunate for us, it should have allowed for the drawers to be ‘fixed’. Guess we will inquire tomorrow. 3000 mile round trip, is not something we would do for 16 or so short screws…
We called and asked at sales office, and I was assured ours was ok. Mine was waiting in the lot, but no one evidently got around to fixing ours. I just got home and found a lightly filled drawer (dishtowels, potholders, and some napkins) dumped on the floor. Searching around and so far I have found 3 of these little 1/2 screws. I will fix this drawer and the others. One more thing that makes me distrust the old sales staff (or at least part of it). Bad drawers, wrong color awning, extra thick cushions on the dinette (when we specifically specified normal dinette cushions), cancelled hatches sitting in the closet. They sure screwed up the opportunity to make a good first impression. If it was my sales organization there certainly would be someone getting a “Plan for improved performance review”. I see gaps in communication, both with production and customers, and a general lack of follow through. Color me disappointed…
Another set bites the dust... The replacement screws that Oliver sent were still too short, in my opinion, so I used 1" Grabbers. Then to lock the drawers back onto the slides, use a wash cloth or towel, pull the drawer and the slide out, then with the towel over your fingers, slip your fingers into the groove at the front of the slide and then pull the slide out into the locking mechanism that's screwed to the drawers, while holding the drawer in place or pushing it back to lock in the slidebar. You will feel and hear them lock into place. If you try it with just your fingers, it's slices up your finger tips just enough to feel some pain that takes a week to heal, but just holding a towel over them in the slide works great and totally protects your fingers from the sharp edges on the slide :)
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You do know you don’t have to remove the jack cover to use the manual handle.
On ours I had to because the bubble level was sitting in a solid mold with no opening beneath it. Or is there another way? I'm all ears Steve :)
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We went home for a few weeks to prepare for our next outing and now here we are at the "Scamp Camp Far West Rally" located in Quincy California and back on the road for another week :) We have 2 Olli's here again with John's and ours representing our favorite type of trailer, the Oliver Legacy Elite II. You can see his in the far right of this pic -
and then ours is located right at the gate and the first trailer that people see when they drive into the Pioneer RVCampground and once again we have had a large group of people checking out our Olli and surprisingly, some have watched a lot of our movies about the Oliver and our Gold Mining adventures :)
Once again, Karen's women's coloring group has come together and have spent hours talking and coloring together. It has become the favorite gathering place for the women and they have a great time. Here's one of the pics that the girls put in their trailers to continue working on tomorrow. Karen brings all of the supplies, paper, pencils, paints, markers, etc for everyone, if you've ever wondered what we carry in our Yakima box on top of the car, it's plum full of art supplies :)
We do love our little Goldilocks, she draws quite the crowd with all of Karen's decorative skills at work inside and out :)
Reed