Hello and some ?s

[Mago]

First off, thank you to all the contributors here - the passion for OTT is very apparent (even contagious, perhaps), the knowledge, creativity and sound advise here on the forum is tremendous.

My wife was actually the one that discovered OTT recently and I've been the researcher since.  I've been hauling trailers for more than 30 years - horses, boats, etc and for the past 8 years our enclosed cargo trailer that I converted from bare bones into a toy hauler.  I used to spend a lot of time traveling around the country roadracing motorcycles so I added (built out myself) insulation, windows, a toy hauler style bed in the rear that raises to the ceiling (and can convert to a couch), A/C, Maxxfan, shore power, 12v system, solar, cabinets, etc. That current rig has served us well but now being a bit later in life we're looking for a bit more luxury and aesthetics as well as something that's a true 4 season camper.  We definitely prefer boondocking and so when my wife found Oliver...

We've been able to see 3 now in person and it has only inspired us further.  Our wishlist would include more battery, likely more solar for those batteries, a composting toilet (I prefer Ogo, wife says Nature's Head), 2 5/16 coupler (current trailer has, plan to keep that for motos) and the wife prefers Storm interior colors. However, given lead time on a new build (and today's cost), we'd like to enjoy it some still this winter, so we're now in the midst of a Nationwide search for current LEII Twin Platinum inventory.  Which gets me to my questions...

'24/'25 differences: anything major that's new/changed? 

As far as I can tell, later '24 and current '25 inventory have fiber-granite molded sinks (which we do not care for).  Is that an across the board change? Or are/were stainless sinks an option?   Really don't like that aesthetic and I also saw an owner here (don't recall name) who upgraded the kitchen sink and faucet (looks great btw)... assuming I could cut out the sink(s)?  Albeit a pretty dusty/messy job, and replace if needed (I have found a couple that have the SS sinks, those appear to be earlier '24 builds).

Owners with dogs - how has the PU Leather held up?

Did Truma A/C soft start become standard in '24 and later Platinum/Lithium *Pro* builds?

Anyone done a cassette toilet?  That's what I did in our current trailer, but given layout of OTT, definitely limited on model/capacity going that route.

I don't see pricing discussed here much, or at all really...  Given this is Oliver's forum, understandable and so feel free to decline to comment, but wife keeps asking me, how much below MSRP is common?  Current search is focusing on remaining '24 builds as those are being priced quite a bit lower than the '25's I'm seeing. 

Since we'd be converting to compost toilet, prefer new as maybe we'll be the first (?) to use blank tank for more fresh water.  The DIY upgrade work doesn't give me any pause as I've already got the tools, most of the know-how and a buddy with a large shop.  Could live with the Pro electrical/batteries and solar for 6-12 months - figure out exactly what we need there (if any) and I'd welcome the opportunity to become more intimate with all the systems through the process - prefer to do my own maintenance on just about everything anyway.

We're excited - hopefully it all works out to bring a new Oliver home soon.

 

Edited January 17 by Mago
price topic sensitivity

[topgun2]

1 hour ago, Mago said:

I don't see pricing discussed here much, or at all really...  Given this is Oliver's forum, understandable and so feel free to decline to comment, but wife keeps asking me, how much below MSRP is common? 

First - Welcome and glad that you are here.  Thanks for the kind words!

Second - Obviously, if you purchase a used Oliver, the price will be based on what you and the owner negotiate.  The price as posted by Oliver might have a little bit of "wiggle" room in it but not much - here I'm talking about 1 to 2 thousand dollars - and even this is generally found by getting a discount on an option or a "floor" model type of thing.  I've not dealt with any of the dealers but I'd guess that the bottom line price from them will be very much in line with the price from the factory.  Speaking of the factory - don't be reluctant to give them a call.  They will NOT harass you, sell your info, etc.  However, they are a great source for information relative to options on models and what just might be available at various dealers (to include anything that might be at the factory).

Good luck!

Bill

[Mago]

Thank you, and yes, some of my questions seem to be manufacturer specific, latest models which I haven't seen a lot of here on the forum thus far.  I wasn't sure about reaching out to them with the new dealer network - not sure how that works now...  We actually visited our local dealer and while friendly, isn't that knowledgable about the options and recent model year changes.

Reached out to them directly, online, just now.

[Steph and Dud B]

Units with the factory installed composting toilet come with the black tank installed but not connected to anything but I wouldn't use it for fresh water, even if it was never used. The black tank material is not potable water rated like the fresh tank. OTOH, others with composting toilets have converted the black tank for either additional gray water capacity or even urine disposal.

If you get the Platinum Lithium package with 640Ah of batteries I think you'll find you have plenty of power. It's actually been overkill for us.

Edited January 17 by Steph and Dud B
Addition

[dewdev]

@Mago I would not limit your search to only 2024 and 2025 trailers, if I were you. I would expand the search to 2022 and 2023. that have been lightly used. Just check to see what options they have on them. In my opinion, @Steph and Dud B are correct regarding the amount of battery power you will need when boondocking. Even a inverter generator will likely not be necessary, but could be an option for you.

Try looking at the facebook "Oliver Travel Trailers For Sale" page. There is presently a good selection of newer models for sale there.

Good luck in your search.

Edited January 19 by dewdev

[Mago]

2 hours ago, Steph and Dud B said:

The black tank material is not potable water rated like the fresh tank. OTOH, others with composting toilets have converted the black tank for either additional gray water capacity or even urine disposal.

If you get the Platinum Lithium package with 640Ah of batteries I think you'll find you have plenty of power. It's actually been overkill for us.

Thanks and completely agree - would never use black tank for fresh water if it's not a safe plastic but from I've read here, have not seen anything definitive on that. If you know of something definitive on Black tank plastic Oliver uses please point me in that direction (link). Personally not inclined to use it for urine and with mostly boondocking out West with 2 dogs, fresh water would be bigger priority than more gray capacity.  Would be nice if it could be done, safely.

With your 640ah maybe being overkill - how many days out (I know there's other factors/appliance habits too), and do you just have the 400W solar or do you have more?  That's why I was thinking 390 would be fine to start and see what we really do need (if any).

[Mago]

1 hour ago, dewdev said:

 I would expand the search to 2022 and 2023. that have been lightly used. Just check to see what options they have on them.... Even a inverter generator will likely not be necessary, but could be an option for you.

Try looking at the facebook "Oliver Travel Trailers For Sale" page. There is presently a good selection of newer models for sale there.

Good luck in your search.

Thank you.  Yeah, we're open to used well/lightly...  thinking there was about the black tank and *if possible* creating more fresh water capacity (if the tank were ever used for its purpose - nope, no amount of sanitation would I try to convert it to fresh.  Also, don't (and won't) do Facebook myself, but my wife recently joined the group - there are some options.  Perhaps we'll end up circling back that direction.

And yes, I've got a 3800w inverter gen for our moto camper - runs the A/C, tire warmers and air compressor when at the track.

[Mago]

Re my late model specific questions, spoke with Sales at Oliver and their SS sink manufacturer stopped making them, they make their own counters and so, the molded sink.

Also per Oliver, On Truma A/C soft start, with the 3k inverter, the Truma doesn't need a soft start.  Good to know.

Between Oliver staff and this forum - very helpful, great community.

[jd1923]

Older hulls are equal to the newer and every used dollar saved allows you to add mods that are important and special to you. Check the Modifications forum.

Who needs more water? We do! 🤣 Olivers have a boondocking port where the onboard water pump will fill the FWT from an external source. Many members have 1-2 small 5-gal tanks for this reason. Not good enough for boondocking in Arizona (or Colorado)! We always have an extra 35 gallons, don't leave home without it!

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/horizontal-leg-tank-35-gal

[MobileJoy]

11 hours ago, Mago said:

Also per Oliver, On Truma A/C soft start, with the 3k inverter, the Truma doesn't need a soft start.  Good to know.

I'm not really sure of this... I have one without soft-start and Lithium Pro. I've found that when running AC, the batteries reach Low Battery Cut-Off long before the charge level reaches the NeverDie threshold. When I turn the batteries back on, they show much more charge than 10% (I've seen 50%). I suspect the start-up surge current can fool the batteries BMS into believing the charge has dropped to LBCO.

At high charge levels, the batteries will start up the Truma.

If I run only the Norcold fridge on DC, the batteries don't cut off early.

[John Dorrer]

Welcome from Hull #1045, Jolli Olli.

 

Oliver doesn't customize individual trailers. Oliver does offer a composting toilet, and installing a different manufacturer is not going to happen through Oliver.

 

I think I would live with the sink. Sleeping is about the only thing we do so the sink tank wouldn't even be on our radar to change.

Solar and lithium battery upgrades above the Platinum will be on you.

 

The fresh, gray, and black tanks go in every trailer. Some have shared their mod to pipe their composting toilet urine container to the black tank so they don't have empty multiple times in a day.  One owner switched out their composting toilet to another brand and had to drive to that dealer to get things changed

 

Not sure about when the soft start was added as standard with the Truma AC, either '24 or '25. At the Texas Oliver Rally Truma was present and they spent over 2 days adding the soft start to Owners that had the Truma AC added in '23 and '24.

 

Keep asking away. We are all a family.

 

 

Edited January 18 by John Dorrer
Updated Comment

[Steph and Dud B]

16 hours ago, Mago said:

With your 640ah maybe being overkill - how many days out (I know there's other factors/appliance habits too), and do you just have the 400W solar or do you have more? 

For reference: Our 2022 has 340W of solar and 630Ah of lithium (I mixed that up in the earlier post). We have the 3-way fridge instead of the compressor electric and we have the Dometic A/C with soft start. We run the fridge on 12v while driving.

We camp on the east coast, usually without hookups, 3 seasons, up to 3 weeks at a time. We've never come close to depleting our batteries. I don't think we've even gotten down to 50%. The lowest I recall was 63% after a week in full shade with mostly rainy weather.

With normal use - coffee maker, toaster oven, lights, fan, water pump, TV, furnace, charging devices, etc. - the solar usually gets us back to 100% SOC every day. The only caveat is air conditioner use. If we wanted to run the A/C for multiple hours we'd need to use our generator. In practice, in the summer we might run it for an hour or so before bed while watching TV. That might consume 10% SOC. If it's sunny the next day the solar tops us off. We carry a 2kW Honda generator but never use it. Probably should stop lugging it around...

[Rivernerd]

23 hours ago, Mago said:

we're looking for a bit more luxury and aesthetics as well as something that's a true 4 season camper.

Whether the Oliver is a "true 4-season camper" depends on where you camp.  For the southern USA, where Olivers are made, it can withstand all four seasons if you monitor temps carefully and take a few precautions (like pulling the outside faucet inside during cold snaps, while running the furnace 24/7).  In the northwest USA, where we live and generally camp, the plumbing system is not sufficiently insulated and protected to enable camping in the "dead of winter."  When overnight lows drop down to low single digits F (like this week in the central Idaho mountains), some plumbing components in a standard Oliver will freeze and break, even with the furnace running 24/7.  If you plan to do that kind of camping, there are other (even more expensive!) trailers on the market designed to withstand such temps.

We don't camp in the dead of winter, so our Oliver Elite II meets our needs wonderfully.  Like you, I researched extensively before we opted to pay the premium for an Oliver.  After 2+ years of ownership, we wouldn't trade it for anything else on the market.

[jd1923]

On 1/17/2025 at 10:07 AM, Mago said:

The DIY upgrade work doesn't give me any pause as I've already got the tools, most of the know-how and a buddy with a large shop.  Could live with the Pro electrical/batteries and solar for 6-12 months - figure out exactly what we need there (if any) and I'd welcome the opportunity to become more intimate with all the systems through the process - prefer to do my own maintenance on just about everything anyway.

Given this statement, you would save money buying an Oliver with little to no solar or inverter and LA batteries. Would be good to have another DIY sort contributing on our Forum! 😂

Ours had two OEM Zamp solar panels (320W), 2KW Xantrex and newer LA batteries. Since you asked about costs, for $3300 we added 600AH Epoch LiFePO4, Victron 3KVA MP2 inverter, new buses, cooling fan, and mounting hardware. The net cost was $2700 after selling the used batteries and inverter. For another $1,300, I could add the 460AH Epoch Essentials, installed under the pantry, providing 1060AH total (or a third 300AH Epoch in the battery bay). How much is the Platinum Package?

You could mount three 200W solar panels if your Oliver comes with none, or add a third if it has two. We went with adding the Renogy 400W suitcase (for 720 total with OEM rooftop panels) and Victron 30A MPPT SC, with cabling and Anderson connectors this came to $800. These prices are for parts only, DIY labor of course. And the Renogy 400W is $100 cheaper today than it was last year.

Starting today on my DC-DC charger installation, adding a Victron Orion XS 50A. With 4AWG cabling and SB175 Anderson connectors and lugs it came to $525 total. This would be in addition to upgrading the alternator on your tow vehicle (TV).

OTT recently advertised a sale on adding a DC-DC charger. They would supply the older less-efficient Victron 30A charger and install only the Oliver side of the system (tow vehicle cabling and installation not included), all for the sale price of $1,300, WOW! 🤣

You could also spend big bucks for the Truma A/C on a newer hull. Or replace a noisy Dometic Penguin II with an Atmos A/C with SoftStart for $1,650 shipped. The Atmos is the best A/C unit out there to run on inverter, since it runs efficiently on R32 refrigerant (10A continuous vs. 15A+).

There are many mods postings on all of this, all of mine and from many other members. Like I said before, check out Modifications section or search for your keyword of interest! Best wishes in your pursuit!

[Mago]

9 hours ago, MobileJoy said:

I'm not really sure of this... I have one without soft-start and Lithium Pro. 

At high charge levels, the batteries will start up the Truma.

If I run only the Norcold fridge on DC, the batteries don't cut off early.

A/C is typically a massive draw on power. but as you say, when charged it will start (w/o soft start).  How long it can run on battery is another matter.

Need a lot of battery (Amp hours) to run more constantly, or a sufficient generator. My hope would be to be able to run off battery for an hour or so off battery (and a day full of sun) before going to sleep. Some A/C units will trip a 3k inverter on fully charged batteries w/o a soft start.  Soft start would also allow a smaller (<3k watt) generator to get A/C fired up.  Many factors in those equations, thanks for sharing your experience.

[Mago]

6 hours ago, John Dorrer said:

Welcome from Hull #1045, Jolli Olli.

[... ...]

Not sure about when the soft start was added as standard with the Truma AC, either '24 or '25. At the Texas Oliver Rally Truma was present and they spent over 2 days adding the soft start to Owners that had the Truma AC added in '23 and '24.

 

Keep asking away. We are all a family.

 

 

All pretty much inline with my current understanding and thank you.

So it has been added, perhaps on late 2024+ builds - and also kinda wondering for the minimum size gen needed should we need in the SW desert.  But I'm also familiar with DIY soft start addition on Dometic units - but had read here that Truma wouldn't honor warranty on DIY soft start installs.

[Mago]

2 hours ago, jd1923 said:

Given this statement, you would save money buying an Oliver with little to no solar or inverter and LA batteries. Would be good to have another DIY sort contributing on our Forum! 😂

[...]

Starting today on my DC-DC charger installation, adding a Victron Orion XS 50A.

...

... Atmos A/C with SoftStart for $1,650 shipped. The Atmos is the best A/C unit out there to run on inverter, since it runs efficiently on R32 refrigerant (10A continuous vs. 15A+).

There are many mods postings on all of this, all of mine and from many other members. Like I said before, check out Modifications section or search for your keyword of interest! Best wishes in your pursuit!

Yes, yes and yes...  precisely my thinking, but also saving myself quite a bit of time with a 2023+ model that has a lot of this already plumbed/wired is also a consideration, i.e. get a solid base and spend my time making better for our needs rather than getting it to where it needs to be just for a base case.  Definitely weighing all that now though.

I've read through the Mod's section (maybe first 7-8 pages so far) and searched as well...  saw a lot of your work and other's - great stuff and much appreciated.  Kept thinking/wanted to reply (but old thread and hadn't joined here yet)...  I installed the Redarc BMS 30 on my current moto/toy trailer.  The BMS 30 (Amp) is an AC, DC and MPPT charger all in one unit, selectable for all battery types.  I've been very happy with it.

And nice on hauling water...  Unfortunately I don't have the luxury/capacity of my Ram Cummins(es) any more - I've had 4 HD Rams, a '97 2500 gasser, '04  3500 Cummins, '10 3500 Cummins, then went backward (for pre ULSD/DEF/Emission stuff, and much better mpg) to an early '06 2500 Cummins.  Unfortunately my wife gets car sick in them, even after a top of the line Carli suspension upgrade on the '06. But I shouldn't have an issue hauling an extra 15 gallons now where needed.

[SeaDawg]

The way Oliver plumbs the black tank does not lend itself to use as a spare freshwater tank. It can be used for extra grey water. 

Adding a freshwater tank to the truck bed has been done by a number of folks. We have a water bladder we can use,,as needed, to be carried in the truck bed.

Edited January 18 by SeaDawg

[MobileJoy]

14 hours ago, Mago said:

My hope would be to be able to run off battery for an hour or so off battery (and a day full of sun) before going to sleep.

One of my uses is to condition the Lithionics batteries per instructions. They need to be fully discharged and recharged at least once every six months. Using the Dometic Penguin with soft-start that I used to have, I was able to do this, but not with the Truma. Now I have to use the fridge in DC mode, which is inconvenient when the trailer is winterized and garaged. The Truma has a dehumidify mode which maximally runs the compressor, seemingly regardless of the temperature.

Other than that, we run the AC at highway rest stops when we're having lunch, and occasionally for short periods when boondocking as you do. We don't necessarily have a full charge in either case.

[John Dorrer]

If you do research on using the black tank for extra fresh water, you will see it isn't a good idea. The plastic for the black tank is not conducive for drinking. The chemical make-up would be unsafe.  The chemical make-up will allow those chemicals to leach into the water.

Edited January 19 by John Dorrer
Typo

[Ronbrink]

23 hours ago, Steph and Dud B said:

Probably should stop lugging it around.

Think ‘backup’, just in case!

[SeaDawg]

Unless Oliver plumbing has changed,  the black tank adjoins grey. 

No Black  separation from grey, hence no/never  choice for fresh. 

Don't even think about it, imo.