hello

ptdcdo · October 28, 2016

Hi I'm Steve

new to the forum. Picked up an elite II couple of months ago in TN. My wife Victoria and I are from Central Ohio . we are the third Oliver here in the state . Just thought Id say hello. My question is I want to leave my Oliver in the back yard. Does anyone recommend a type of cover for the tailer or should it be custom made.

Thanks

Steve

**topgun2** · October 28, 2016

Steve,

Welcome, congrates on the new Oliver and try looking at ScottyGS's post below re winterizing. He posted the following link for tire cover at Camping World. Hope this helps!

Bill

GaryJona · October 28, 2016

Hello and welcome to the Oliver family two things I found, one I ordered a normal cover I think it was 23 to 26 foot size for trailers and it went on like Omar the tent maker did the fitting it was extra large hanging over the sides to the ground and had to bunch it up on the front and back so be careful if you order like I did on the fly works but not good. Second thing I might add is if you have solar as I did you need to cover the solar panel edges or it will rip the cover no matter what you use, what i did was went to Target and the foam noodles the kids use in the pools you buy 2 of the large/ Big noodle size, split down one size and it slides right over the edge of the solar panels and protects the cover. One noodle was short so I just split in two and put half on each end, then the cover work well in rainy & sunny Florida. Just a little info that might help and always use tire covers for UV. Thanks Gary

ptdcdo · October 28, 2016

Thanks you so much. I also watched several of you videos and found them very helpful.

Steve

**topgun2** · October 29, 2016

Steve,

My apologies - I originally read your post as wanting information on tire covers - duh!

In talking with ScottyGS prior to ordering my calmark cover I decided to slightly alter his measurements so that there might be a bit more coverage on the sides and rear and a bit less at the front (see attached). I have not received my cover yet, so, I can not tell you how these adjustments worked. I had an ADCO cover on a previous camper and I believe that the CalMark is a better cover with both priced about the same.

Bill

**rideandfly** · October 29, 2016

Steve, Welcome!

Can't help you with cover information, we're preparing to build a hangar for the Ollie. See your avatar, I used to fly fixed wing out of New Philadelphia several years ago. There is a wealth of information here and very nice folks, too!

GrayGhost · November 7, 2016

When I purchased our elite II in September, it came with an inexpensive Expedition RV cover, sized for 18-24' travel trailers. I've been wanting to get the trailer out of the Florida sun, and keep it from prying eyes and sticky fingers at the storage lot where it's kept, but did not want to cover the solar panels. I decided to cut a 3' x 3' hole in the top and give it a shot. Seems to be working OK so far.

GaryJona · November 7, 2016

I have a questions and read your post the cover that size sure fits better than mine but did you leave the solar system charged while in storage and if so how are the batteries ventilated during the solar charging. I covered mine last winter for a few months here in Florida also and shut down the solar switch and the butterfly breakers as well as the fuse box to stop all the Phantom draw. Thanks Gary

GrayGhost · November 7, 2016

I have the Trojan T 105 AGM sealed batteries. My understanding is that they do not vent, except in an overcharge situation. I did leave the solar system charging. The battery compartment is ventilated, and the cover is also ventilated; the darker gray flap that hangs at the roofline of the trailer has screening beneath for ventilation, as well as the 9 square foot opening at the top that I opened up for the solar panels. While the cover is snug enough to keep it from blowing off, it does billow a bit when there is a breeze. I think there will be enough circulation with the cooler air under the trailer being drawn up by the hot air escaping up through the vents, and more than enough air movement to exhaust the little vents on the outside of the battery compartment.

**ScubaRx** · November 7, 2016

I noticed in your picture that the solar panels appeared to be partially covered. I offer this information in case you were not aware of how your solar panels output electricity. You may well have known all this and taken it into consideration.

Partial shading of even one cell on a 36-cell solar panel, will reduce its power output. Because all cells are connected in a series string, the weakest cell will bring the others down to its reduced power level. Therefore, whether 1/2 of one cell is shaded, or 1/2 a row of cells is shaded, the power decrease will be the same and proportional to the percentage of area shaded, in this case 50%. When a full cell is shaded, it can actually consume energy produced by the remainder of the cells, and trigger the solar panel to protect itself. The solar panel will route the power around that series string.

GrayGhost · November 8, 2016

ScubaRx, thanks very much for your input. I am aware of how the solar panels work, but I decided to experiment with a smaller opening, primarily for longevity of the cover....I was concerned that a complete opening would tend to have edges catch and rip. So far the batteries are maintaining at 100%, but if that changes I will know what the culprit is and will alter the opening.

**topgun2** · December 2, 2016

I received my CalMark cover four days ago. In addition to the cover they also sent several "patches" and a tube of E6000 glue. These patches are to be used to repair any areas that might get worn and/or to be placed in areas that might be subject to extra wear. With time growing short - it is the 2nd of December - and the forecast for a high temperature in the high 50's with abundant sun and little wind, I decided that today was the day to really put Twist to bed for a couple of months.

Once I wiped down the entire camper to remove as much dirt as possible (automotive detailer is great for this) and to get the morning dew off, I wanted to fabricate a PVC sleeve to fit over the WiFi Ranger antenna. Since I could not take this antenna off or lower it or even remove the unit entirely, protecting it and protecting the cover was the only choice. I used a 2" piece of PVC with a cap on the end. In addition, prior to putting the sleeve in place, I covered the antenna stalk with a piece of pipe insulation which should help keep the sleeve from moving. In putting the sleeve over the antenna I cut a piece out of the sleeve at the bottom that measured approximately 1 1/4" wide and 1 3/4" long. This allowed the sleeve to fit down over the bracket that holds the antenna to the WiFi Ranger main unit without actually touching the roof. Given the downward pressure caused by the cover and the friction fit on the WiFi Ranger antenna bracket, I don't think that this will move at all under the cover. I then took two six foot pieces of 3/4" pipe insulation and placed them on the edges of the solar panels. Adding shorter sections (about a foot long or so) from the corners of the panels toward the middle of the camper, the cover should be protected from those solar panel edges - next year I plan to use "pool noodles" but I could not find any for sale when I stated looking for them in October. I placed 18" pieces of this same pipe insulation on the corners of the bumper - again to protect the cover from wear. Finally, since the solar panels will be covered, I turned off the main switch (the big red job under the streetside access panel and tripped the two circuit breakers located in the same area) and I disconnected the main negative battery cable. Since it rarely gets below 20 in this part of North Carolina (and even then it doesn't get there for long) and since I plan to either use the camper or charge the batteries no less than every other month, this should not cause undue harm to the four Trojan 105's.

Taking the cover out of the box I found the front (a label with CalMark on it is the front) and laid it out next to Twist on the ground. Grabbing a hand full of the cover at about the middle of the camper, I climbed the eight foot ladder and lifted as much of the cover as possible onto the top of the camper. I then used a clamp to temporally hold it there while I did the same thing to both the front and back of the camper. As a part of the cover, CalMark sews on three straps that eventually go completely around the camper. However, these same straps can be used to help pull the cover material over the top. There is a seam roughly placed at the "edge" of each side, so, you can use that as a guide to see that you are relatively evenly spaced. Obviously, given the various things on the roof, the cover does not simply "flow" on and over, but, with the small exception of the cover sleeve that I made for the WiFi antenna and getting enough material up and over the air conditioner it was not terribly difficult getting the cover on and positioned properly.

The final step is snugging up the straps mentioned earlier, pulling the rope that is sewn into the hem to tighten the cover around the bottom of the camper and then placing rope through the eyelets that are sewn into the hem further securing the bottom and making the cover relatively tight all around.

Questions?

Bill