Week one with #359

[BackofBeyond]

We picked up our twin bed Legacy Elite II just over 1 week ago. Has the AGM's, solar, Truma AquaGo® Water Heater , fiber granite, etc. - really everything but the Wi-Fi, Satellite stuff, camera's, table, upgrade bedding and cell booster. (5200 lbs. sticker at delivery) I added to my build a spare set of axle replacement seals and bearings, and  a complete tire/rim (yes that makes two). So far I have been impressed with the overall integration of the sum of its "parts" into a very functional unit that is well executed. I've run everything but the heat system, plenty of that naturally right now.

 

It is very impressive that Oliver has thought through the process and has included in the delivery the various items needed to actually use the unit - the hoses, adaptors, water pressure reducer, etc. There is a lot to like about the unit, many of you, as owners, know what that is, so my few "complaints" are as follows:

 

1.Don't understand the shower curtain process - it just doesn't work. Will find a better answer - probably figure out a way to keep water off/out of the Natures Head, and call  it a day.

 

2.Had a  small area of unfinished exterior surface prep (about palm size). A little elbow work. 400/600/1200 sandpaper and polish took care of it.

 

3. After one week of airing it out - the fiberglass and resin smell is still there - I expect this to diminish over time.

 

Yes the AC is loud - but that was expected. The "22” Flat Screen LCD TV, Radio with FM & AM Dual Zone Audio Output, CD/DVD/MP/WMA/MP4, USB, Bluetooth & Remote Control" - whew -works much better than I expected, and the lighting and switch options ae really well done. The DC/usb port lights are annoying if you don't plug in the rubber cover.

 

That's about it - so far.

 

I have installed magnets to keep the bathroom door open, used 3m double side tape - works great. Re engineered my Thule bike rack to install on the rear of the Ollie. It works well and looks very similar to the former factory option.  As they discontinued the factory option. Interesting that the tow cable hooks are too large to fit the hitch attachment locations on my GMC. Had to buy some heavy duty large carabiners to make the transition.

 

I Amazoned a box of  the recommended grease, a new dedicated grease gun, the Anderson wheel chocks, and the door magnets. Still have to source spare fuses - by the way,  Oliver is now putting 2 amp fuses in the Natures Head circuit.

 

I purchased a Gushill lock for the bulldog hitch, and also lock the leaver - thus theft now represents to much trouble - the thieves will move on to the next rube. Or unbolt the Bulldog….

 

Did you know Dometic fridge/freezer maintains 40 degree at setting 2. Inquiring minds and all. And the  Heat/cool T stat is accurate - within reason.

 

Towing was fine, The Anderson worked as advertised, but I have sourced a new TV, perhaps overkill with the 2500, but hey, a man and his toys. (Cindy likes the truck - a bonus)

 

That's it - a satisfied owner - to date.

 

As an aside - the purchase price for these units is hard to justify - unless and until you go through the details of the build, the standard options, and the execution. Take it home, crawl around, crawl underneath, poke it, pull it, use it - the value becomes much more compelling.

 

With that  - to all a good day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ScubaRx]

You may find those hooks fit just fine on the new 2500.  I actually had to get larger hooks when we made the switch to the Silverado 2500HD.  You will find that the combo of the 2500/OEII is great!!!

[Mike and Carol]

1.Don’t understand the shower curtain process – it just doesn’t work. Will find a better answer – probably figure out a way to keep water off/out of the Natures Head, and call it a day.

 

We’ve never used a shower curtain. Just a squeegee and towel after showers. The bathroom is the cleanest place in the trailer! We don’t have a Natures Head, if it must stay dry then there must be a workable solution out there. Mike

[Mirna]

I would like to hear about the shower and Nature's Head as we are getting a trailer with that set up and no curtain.  Thank you, Mirna.

[Overland]

Several of us have installed solid stainless rods instead of the curved track that Oliver uses, and IMO they function and look 1000x better.  You can see a couple versions of the solid rods in this thread.

[Newshoes]

A little late to the dance (me). I have the natures head and just cover it with a "round" barbecue grill cover. Makes the Head a good seat from which to shower and it keeps the Head dry. I think I paid $20 at Home depot for the cover.

[SeaDawg]

Sounds like a good solution

[Ray and Susan Huff]

On 8/1/2018 at 12:39 AM, BackofBeyond said:

We picked up our twin bed Legacy Elite II just over 1 week ago. Has the AGM's, solar, Truma AquaGo® Water Heater , fiber granite, etc. - really everything but the Wi-Fi, Satellite stuff, camera's, table, upgrade bedding and cell booster. (5200 lbs. sticker at delivery) I added to my build a spare set of axle replacement seals and bearings, and  a complete tire/rim (yes that makes two). So far I have been impressed with the overall integration of the sum of its "parts" into a very functional unit that is well executed. I've run everything but the heat system, plenty of that naturally right now.

 

It is very impressive that Oliver has thought through the process and has included in the delivery the various items needed to actually use the unit - the hoses, adaptors, water pressure reducer, etc. There is a lot to like about the unit, many of you, as owners, know what that is, so my few "complaints" are as follows:

 

1.Don't understand the shower curtain process - it just doesn't work. Will find a better answer - probably figure out a way to keep water off/out of the Natures Head, and call  it a day.

 

2.Had a  small area of unfinished exterior surface prep (about palm size). A little elbow work. 400/600/1200 sandpaper and polish took care of it.

 

3. After one week of airing it out - the fiberglass and resin smell is still there - I expect this to diminish over time.

 

Yes the AC is loud - but that was expected. The "22” Flat Screen LCD TV, Radio with FM & AM Dual Zone Audio Output, CD/DVD/MP/WMA/MP4, USB, Bluetooth & Remote Control" - whew -works much better than I expected, and the lighting and switch options ae really well done. The DC/usb port lights are annoying if you don't plug in the rubber cover.

 

That's about it - so far.

 

I have installed magnets to keep the bathroom door open, used 3m double side tape - works great. Re engineered my Thule bike rack to install on the rear of the Ollie. It works well and looks very similar to the former factory option.  As they discontinued the factory option. Interesting that the tow cable hooks are too large to fit the hitch attachment locations on my GMC. Had to buy some heavy duty large carabiners to make the transition.

 

I Amazoned a box of  the recommended grease, a new dedicated grease gun, the Anderson wheel chocks, and the door magnets. Still have to source spare fuses - by the way,  Oliver is now putting 2 amp fuses in the Natures Head circuit.

 

I purchased a Gushill lock for the bulldog hitch, and also lock the leaver - thus theft now represents to much trouble - the thieves will move on to the next rube. Or unbolt the Bulldog….

 

Did you know Dometic fridge/freezer maintains 40 degree at setting 2. Inquiring minds and all. And the  Heat/cool T stat is accurate - within reason.

 

Towing was fine, The Anderson worked as advertised, but I have sourced a new TV, perhaps overkill with the 2500, but hey, a man and his toys. (Cindy likes the truck - a bonus)

 

That's it - a satisfied owner - to date.

 

As an aside - the purchase price for these units is hard to justify - unless and until you go through the details of the build, the standard options, and the execution. Take it home, crawl around, crawl underneath, poke it, pull it, use it - the value becomes much more compelling.

 

With that  - to all a good day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worth every penny - design and quality of build are why we have decided on an Oliver.  Far surpasses any towable on the RV market, IMO.

[BackofBeyond]

@ 2+ years, 15K+ miles later - 

Things I don't like -

The Dometic AC  - just to loud - could use some tech updating- better energy management and cooling efficiency. Great Replacements are very $$$ but if this ever goes south - ....

The Dometic  Fridge - although it seems to have discontinued its sporadic trend to shut itself off - it is just not up to the task when outside temps are 90 and above. Again - replacement will be a AC/DC Danfoss type replacement.

Windows will leak under certain conditions.

Things I like-

Just about everything else.

I make incremental improvements as the community comes up with them, and although there are some real $$$ changes one can make - the basic Oliver is a pretty good unit - BUT - we pay for it. I am on the fence on this - quite honestly. 

Those with more years and miles experience can attest to the value better than I at this point. 

Were I to redesign the EII - well now that is a can of worms best left alone. 

 

 

 

[Mike and Carol]

Agree.  The weak point for Oliver is the standard RV appliances.  In particular, the Dometic AC unit is something we avoid using if at all possible.  Our fridge has worked well for over 4 years so... I don’t want to jinx myself!  We never turn our fridge off, it’s always on even when in storage.  The rest of the trailer is solid and ours has held up admirably for 4+ years and 50K+ miles.  Folks comment that it still looks new.  Mike

[Overland]

1 hour ago, BackofBeyond said:

Were I to redesign the EII - well now that is a can of worms best left alone. 

Never stopped us before.  🤣

[SeaDawg]

I've seen comments on just about every brand forum about the noisy ac units dometic and others sell for US units. And, every RV I've ever used or delivered with a rooftop ac since the 70s had a noisy ac.

I'm wondering when Dometic will offer certain other more efficient, quieter inverter compressor units like the Australian Harrier  and European Freshjet 3000 in  North America? Australia sells probably ten or 15 per cent of the rvs sold in the US, but they seem to get all the best gear first. 😒

The inverter technology seems to be like that of some minisplits. Run longer, but run at only the speed required to maintain the requested temperature, nice and even.  Not that constant cycling on and off of our single speed compressors.

I saw a test on a Harrier on a youtube from Australia. With inverter compressor and fan both running on highest setting, it drew 48 amps from the lithium battery, and no startup issues, as the inverter/variable speed compressor tech is a "built in" soft start. I think ramping up from 2.6 or something like that. It ramped up slowly.  If low setting amp use is say, half of high, you might possibly enjoy ac through the entire  night on a lithium set up like Overland's, on battery. 

And,  one of these had a dc upgrade kit, can't remember which, but I  think Freshjet. Wouldn't that be nice?

The new for 2020  European dometic freshjet 3000 looks suspiciously like the Harrier. The photos attached to the Dometic  press release even showed Harriers, when I clicked over to the next page. Either they made a mistake in photos, or it's rebadged for Europe and the UK.

I feel like sending Dometic USA an email. I know there are a number of us who are willing to spend a little more for a quiet night's sleep and the ability to run on lithium or a 2000 watt generator.

Probably not of interest to a lot of Elkhart manufacturers, who want to cut costs at every turn, but I  think it would be of interest to a lot of people, here.

Sherry

 

[Seymour]

Fold out windshield sun shade works for “shower curtain”