Hull 735 Launched!

[BillATX]

I am pleased to report that hull #735 has been launched.  Elite 1 (shorty).  Pics to follow.

Wife and I are from Austin, TX.  We are first-time RVers.  Looking to see our country from a different perspective.

We would love to meet other Oliver owners on the road.  We have already benefitted so much from this forum and the generous members of this community.  Thank you to all of you in this community who have helped us get to this point.  I am grateful for your advice, expertise, and inspiration.

@Mike and Carol (fellow Texans)  recommended a place to stay on our journey back to TX;@SeaDawg is the preeminent expert on the Shortys and always generous sharing their experience; @John E Davies is resident expert and @BackofBeyond helped me with my Tow vehicle issues; @Ray and Susan Huff@SherMica you have provided much inspiration.  I have relied on contributions from @Overland @ScubaRx@topgun2@Landrover and so many others.  THANK YOU!

Bill

 

[BillATX]

Pick up day was long... I am currently camped at Davey Crockett Park.

Yesterday I drove from Austin and stayed in a VRBO near Henderson.  Drove to Hohenwald this morning and took a factory tour this morning.  Lunch in Hohenwald at Southern Skillet, and then back to the Sales and Service office for payment, and walk-through. Walk-through took a little more than 3 hours.  I left the Oliver Sales and Service facility at 4:30.  I made a quick stop at the local auto parts store and I drove a portion of the Natchez Trace to the Davey Crocket park.  Beautiful drive.  Arrived at the park after dark, and in the rain.  I have a truck full of stuff for the trailer, but I have all day tomorrow to get settled in.  For now, I have electricity.  I am warm and dry.  And thankful.

 

[QuestionMark]

Bill,

Welcome to the family of Ollie E1 owners.   It just seems like yesterday we picked up our Elite I Hull #664 on September 14.   We also live in Texas and have really enjoyed exploring the State Parks over the past few months.   Wishing you safe travels to wherever your journey takes you.

Mark 

[topgun2]

Bill - 

Amazing - isn't it?  Just how can the "simple act" of picking up a camper take the entire day?  Before I got my Oliver, the other campers I bought maybe took 2 hours (tops) to get delivered.

Glad to hear that all went well and that you are now setting about the chore of actually moving in.  At least you are warm and dry and (hopefully) rested.

Let us know if we can help!

Bill

[SeaDawg]

Congratulations,  Bill. I hope you enjoy your shorty as much as we have enjoyed ours for 13 seasons.

Looks like better weather for unloading the truck and setting up today. At least some sunshine 🌞  I hope you'll get time to run through all the equipment during your stay. 

Tennessee is a beautiful place to camp, but February weather is iffy. You'll definitely get the chance to see how nice and toasty it is in the trailer in the 20s at night. 🙃

We'll look forward to photos, later. 

[Patriot]

Congrats on your OE1  “shorty” and enjoy your time at David Crockett CG!! 
This is a perfect time to run ALL your systems and really get a good shake down in before your leave the vicinity of the mothership. 
Torquing wheel lugs, checking tire pressures and going through your safety check list before your long journey home. 

May your adventures be filled with miles of smiles! 

 

Edited February 5, 2021 by Patriot

[TexasGuy]

Congrats from a fellow Texan! I am in DFW and pickup in May. I lived in Austin years ago when I went to UT.   I visit when I can as it is a great place .  

 

 Good luck !

Edited February 5, 2021 by TexasGuy

[Moonlight Mile]

11 hours ago, BillATX said:

I am pleased to report that hull #735 has been launched.  Elite 1 (shorty).  Pics to follow.

Wife and I are from Austin, TX.  We are first-time RVers.  Looking to see our country from a different perspective.

We would love to meet other Oliver owners on the road.  We have already benefitted so much from this forum and the generous members of this community.  Thank you to all of you in this community who have helped us get to this point.  I am grateful for your advice, expertise, and inspiration.

@Mike and Carol (fellow Texans)  recommended a place to stay on our journey back to TX;@SeaDawg is the preeminent expert on the Shortys and always generous sharing their experience; @John E Davies is resident expert and @BackofBeyond helped me with my Tow vehicle issues; @Ray and Susan Huff@SherMica you have provided much inspiration.  I have relied on contributions from @Overland @ScubaRx@topgun2@Landrover and so many others.  THANK YOU!

Bill

 

Bill, well howdy! PM me anytime. Hard to find many other Elite 1 newbies (like me!) — and assume you are not FT in it like I am. A whole ‘nother universe, really. I am always glad when my dumbth can help others in this. Obviously I am having some “difficulties” I did not need. 
 

Someday, when and if everything settles down, I plan to write a super-organized, clear, “wish I had known” “what I needed that I did not have” “is this supposed to be on fire?”-type of post here all by itself. Or, perhaps better, I’ll do it on my website, and with helpful tips and an honest review.

Stay tuned. I will “follow” you here too, in a minute.

[Time2Go!]

Congratulations! We are also from Texas and will be picking up our Ollie II on 2/15. There have been a lot of posts from fellow Texans in the past few months who have either just picked up or just placed orders. We camp a lot in the Texas State Parks and Corp of Engineers Parks and hope to meet other Oliver owners in the future.

Looking forward to more posts about how pick up and your stay at DCSP goes.

Cindy

[BillATX]

 

[Moonlight Mile]

9 minutes ago, Time2Go! said:

Congratulations! We are also from Texas and will be picking up our Ollie II on 2/15. There have been a lot of posts from fellow Texans in the past few months who have either just picked up or just placed orders. We camp a lot in the Texas State Parks and Corp of Engineers Parks and hope to meet other Oliver owners in the future.

Looking forward to more posts about how pick up and your stay at DCSP goes.

Cindy

I have no reservation anywhere after Feb 11 here in Livingston TX. Gulp. Need to just get a fairly lengthy rez somewhere safe, quiet, and find “time” to read and learn. Still haven’t hooked up anything but elec. Just way too much going on. And. Alas, I have run out of data (brand new Verizon Jetpack and within an hour — they started sending “out of data” emails. Still coming. Going to find their store today and go “complain.” Very hard to type on phone all this time! And playing phone tag with OTT. Gah.

[Time2Go!]

34 minutes ago, SherMica said:

I have no reservation anywhere after Feb 11 here in Livingston TX. Gulp. Need to just get a fairly lengthy rez somewhere safe, quiet, and find “time” to read and learn. Still haven’t hooked up anything but elec. Just way too much going on. And. Alas, I have run out of data (brand new Verizon Jetpack and within an hour — they started sending “out of data” emails. Still coming. Going to find their store today and go “complain.” Very hard to type on phone all this time! And playing phone tag with OTT. Gah.

The longest reservation available at any Texas State Park or COE park is 14 days which is a decent amount of time and there’s usually another one within a short drive. With the state park pass you get one 1/2 price night during a 2 night or longer stay. If you have the pass for COE parks for 62 or older camping is always 1/2 price. Hope you get things straightened out with your cell service and have time to relax and take it easy a few days. 
 

Cindy

[Time2Go!]

49 minutes ago, BillATX said:

 

We’re assigned site 60 for our pick up. Looks like a nice area. I’m looking forward to exploring the park. 
 

Cindy

[QuestionMark]

8 hours ago, Time2Go! said:

We’re assigned site 60 for our pick up. Looks like a nice area. I’m looking forward to exploring the park. 
 

Cindy

That is the exact same site that was assigned to us for our first couple of nights after initial pickup.  We called and extended our stay another night just in case we needed to follow-up with Oliver on any issues that might arise.  Excellent spot and easy access to bathrooms.   Enjoy the stay.

[JRK]

Bill

I am feeling special today, as I got the vin for the Elite I, same as yours, that will be picked up in 6 weeks. I will be looking forward to hearing from you about what you have learned the first few days about what may have not been told, or changes you made from recommendations for delivery team, such as reducing the tire pressue. 

Vehicle registration paperwork is on the way.

Enjoy the ride.

John

[Carl Hansen]

Congratulations on your new "Shorty".  For those of us that have a long time still to wait for our delivery date (mine is 10/21/21) please feel free to share what you learn and experience.  We can live and learn through your experiences and successes and will better prepare us for our delivery.  We anticipate taking 2-3 days in the area before we jump into a long trip back to the Portland, Oregon area.  What you experience in those initial days will be valuable information for the rest of us, the good, the bad, and the wonderful!

Again, congratulations and many happy trails ahead for you!

Carl

[BillATX]

Making my way back to Central TX after  2 nights at David Crockett.  I am currently camped at the Clear Springs campground on Wright Patman lake near Texarkana.  Thanks @Mike and Carol for the recommendation.  All is good in Ollie-land.

[SNY SD UP]

Thank You for the Pic & post.

i will add it to our reservation short list when we head south this spring.

[BillATX]

TESTING SO FAR (the past two days) - 

1.  I have connected water and tested pressure from kitchen faucet and bath.  I have installed a basic Camco blue water filter and a Valterra brass pressure regulator (with the adjustable dial).  I have found no leaks, but not sure I would since the leaks would likely be between the inner and outer shells.  I also installed the Oliver-supplied quick connects on the white supply hose and the city water and fresh tank inlets.  QUESTION - for those of you that use the quick connects, do you have a cap that covers the inlets while you are travelling?  Road debris could enter the quick connects, I assume?

2.  I have filled and discharged my fresh tanks multiple times.  I have tested the Seelevel tank monitor with the trailer at different angles.  FACT - An unlevel trailer will yield inaccurate tank level readings.  I still have not experienced the loss of pressure caused by the plastic shavings caught in the pump filter, but I'll clean out the filter when I get home.

3.  I have run lights and used outlets on shore power and battery.  I am still ignorant about how the batteries work and how much I can discharge them with damaging them.  I also have no good understanding about how long I could go without recharging the batteries and what types of power loads I could support and for how long.  Lots of reading and testing still to come.

4.  I have run the Norcold fridge on AC only and only when hooked up.  I have tested on propane and appears to work fine, but I turned the fridge off when travelling today.  I have not run the fridge off of batteries yet.  No issues with fridge, but it is an RV (non-compressor) fridge, so it is small and doesn't get cold quickly.

5.  Furnace heats up fast!  The first night at Davey Crockett, it got cold (mid-20s).  The furnace kept the coach warm enough.  I set the temp to 64F.  The thermostat seems imprecise, but when the furnace did flip on, it got the coach warm quickly.  The second night, I used a small electric space heater (750W) and it kept the coach warm all night long.  The furnace never came on.  Outside temps were low 30s.  One negative in the Elite 1 - the rear duct gets very little airflow and heat through it.

6.  The propane stove works well.  I made coffee and, yes, it definitely tastes better at camp.  The front propane quick connect works well.  I have not used the rear propane quick connect yet. 

I have torked the lug nuts once after about 50 miles.  Only one lug was was a tiny bit loose, but all others were still fine.  I'll tork the lugs again before I leave in the morning.

7.  I have tried the shower and it works, though it is small.  Really only good for a quick rinse, but it does the job.  I got the Truma instant hot water heater and it works well.  I had to reset it after travelling with the propane off.

8. I still need to test the microwave and the compost toilet.  Not sure I am ready to grow a garden the bathroom yet😀.

I hope this helps.  I really believe these trailers are high quality - exactly AS ADVERTISED. 

Bill

[Carl Hansen]

Bill,

Thanks for the detailed report!  I can see there is a number of systems to check. You seem very thorough. 

What battery package did you get with your trailer?

That’s a great idea to check the lug nuts. I will add that to my checklist as well. 

Thanks again for sharing!

Carl

[topgun2]

Bill - 

Re your #1 above:  A leak of anything above a seep between the hulls will  be very easy to identify - water will begin to come out of what are called the "scupper" holes in the underside of the Oliver.  Besides looking for where the water is coming out, you can also look for the stainless steel "half-cones" that have an opening facing towards the rear of the Oliver.  As with water craft these are formed and placed in this manner so that as you drive down the road any moisture (think condensation here) will actually be drawn out from between the hulls.

Bill

p.s.  I do use quick connects and I do use covers on each when not in use.

[BillATX]

@Carl Hansen - I got the solar pro package.  I still do not fully understand how well 230 W of solar power will charge two 6V AGM batteries, or how long the batteries will keep me powered.  (Heck, I do not understand what my power needs are yet.)  But I wanted the coach to be set up for solar and now I have an external Zamp plug (directly into the batteries) and, perhaps later, I can upgrade to lithium, if needed.  Also - @SeaDawg strongly recommended that I install solar.  If I have learned one thing on this forum, it is to listen to @SeaDawg.

I will need a lot more time without shore power to check the efficiency of this solar and battery system.  Much to learn.

[Carl Hansen]

3 hours ago, BillATX said:

 Also - @SeaDawg strongly recommended that I install solar.  If I have learned one thing on this forum, it is to listen to @SeaDawg.

@SeaDawgis really a great resource for us "shorties".  I have found his advice to be very valuable.  

I contacted OTT and they told me that I can order the Lithium package upgrade for my Ollie even though it is a 2021 which I plan on doing.  My only concern about lithium is the cold weather.  We love to ski and here in the Pacific Northwest most ski resorts have a dedicated portion of their parking lot for RVs.  I have two adult children who bring their trailers up to the resorts.  It is really nice to have our "home" right there in the parking lots.  However, I have heard that lithium doesn't do well below freezing.  OTT indicated their lithium package does include heating pads for the batteries.  That should help.

Enjoy your every day!

Carl

[Fritz]

 

I think that Oliver is now using two Lithionics 130 amp-hour lithium ion batteries in the LE1, for a total of 260 AH (in the LE2, three 130 AH batteries for 390 AH total) as part of the lithium package.  The lithionics batteries have a charging range of 32°F to 113°F, and a discharge temperature range of -4°F to 113°F.    Acceptable temperature ranges for long-term storage are a bit more constrained (https://lithionicsbattery.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Lithionics-Battery-Storage-Procedure.pdf).

The batteries can handle a wider range of temperature when in use (e.g., when traveling) than in long-term storage.  My understanding (from what I've read; we do not have our trailer yet) is that you can draw from the batteries below freezing, but charging them requires heating below 32°F.  If charging with solar, then all solar gain goes first to the 12V heating system and any excess goes to charging the battery.  

[Carl Hansen]

 

30 minutes ago, Fritz said:

Oliver is now using two Lithionics 130 amp-hour lithium ion batteries in the LE1, for a total of 260 AH

Thanks for the information about the Lithionics batteries.

I poked around on the Lithionics website and they make an impressive product.  Once again, OTT has done their homework and have picked industry leading technology for their trailers.

Carl