All Activity

For those who have been there, how are the bugs in May? We're planning to attend the MOO 2 rally in Duluth mid-May. Thanks, Tony

@Boudicca908 I just noticed something else in the picture above. Notice the shackle dropped and is in the wrong position. After you left here and drove over a step or bump in the road, it likely gave a big thump and reset itself. If it is still dropped this way, driving on and angle slowly over a curb, should return it to correct position. Or it may have reset itself after we mounted the rims and lowered the hull. This happened to my old springs too. When you upgrade to Alcan Springs it won't ever do that again. They are too stiff to allow the axle to drop this way. See my Alcan picture for correct shackle orientation.

Earlier, but likely not as old as ours. We had a dish satellite but it was a bigger/wider unit. Same wheels, marker lights, battery door and no Zamp port like ours. Exact same pinstriping and grey color. It has the newer style doghouse latches. First time I've ever seen an Oliver traveling without the front basket!

Best gift ever! Some of my greatest memories were out camping with my folks and grandparents in our “swanky” Sears and Roebuck canvas tent. Oh if they could see me now…🤣

Too cool, looks like we’re both getting Apex’s in October then and as an “Honorary Texan” from my time stationed there will share a Big Texas smile with ya. Cheers!

When I entered John's Oliver, I was interested in seeing some of the modifications he has made. First I wanted to see his electrical area under the aft dinette seat, as I am trying to learn how to find specific parts. Then I checked out the air fryer (where a microwave used to be) and his controls (mostly different due to the age of his unit, but also because he has changed out a lot of the systems.) It was probably 10 minutes later when I looked up and commented on how shallow the Chill Cub air conditioner was -- almost flush with the ceiling, making a sleek surface. What I did NOT notice was that it was turned on. I couldn't hear it at all. He lowered the setting to make it blast and I believe my impression was that the noise was less than 30% of the noise of my Dometic. I rarely run my AC, mostly because it hurts my ears. On the outside, it's boxy. But on the inside, all I can say is "Wow".

Again -- it's not "north" that makes for cooler air, but elevation. Also, I once considered a summer volunteer position near the Boundary Waters, until I read the fine print where it recommended "impenetrable clothing". I called my friend who lives in Duluth to confirm and he said, "Don't do it. The bugs will eat you alive." or something to that effect. I have visited Minnesota twice, in January when the snow is high, the bugs are low, and the owls are 'down south' for great birdwatching.

Thanks for posting! I routinely use a small dual-fuel generator on propane for a/c at roadside or parking lot overnight stays when traveling. I carry a dedicated 30# tank that will provide enough power for three nights of use. I have a larger dual-fuel for longer anticipated stays, such as hurricane evacuations on the Texas coast, which runs continuously on non-ethanol gas for the duration of stay. I can also run the a/c on inverter during rest stops and meals when traveling to a destination, utilizing 50% SOC for three hours of run time; the DC-DC charger will then recharge when back underway.

Spotted this Oliver Northbound on I-5 in Everett WA Based upon the location of the SAT antenna and type of battery doors, looks like an earlier unit. Hope they are having a fun summer.

A short clip that some may find useful. It shows just how easily an inverter A/C unit ramps up and how it allows a much smaller generator to run it safely as compared to a standard compressor A/C unit. While this was on a Greenland Turbro, the numbers and ramp up profile should be very similar with any of the current units on the market. This test was using a Honda EU2200I generator and the readout is in volt-amps and not watts. VA actually topped out at 970VA but the video stopped right before the peak. After running 15 min power draw leveled out around 600VA and then down to 400VA after an hour or so. Should be able to get 6+ hours runtime on the .95 gallon tank if the A/C runs continuously. Not my plan to ever have to use the generator to power the Ollie, I just wanted to know how it would perform in an emergency situation where we're left without power for several days. Something everyone here in Florida thinks about during hurricane season! Video Project 8 (1).mp4

It's been a full year for us now. Last fall cancelled some trips because we were considering selling our house and needed to finish several things before putting it on the market, then my knee finally went caput. Operation in late February for replacement, recovery is going well but can only walk or light hike for about 3-4 miles without straining things and making it worse. The good news is I can bike much better and have racked up about 240+ miles in the last few months of light to moderate mountain biking. So with this situation no solo trips or the two of us traveling to the SW and other places. Glacier is not an option currently but might head to YNP later in the summer or early autumn if things keep improving. Old age is not what it's cracked up to be. Not for sissy's.

Last time in an airport? Twas pre-Covid for me! 😎 Chris does an annual sister’s trip, to IL or FL. Me, last time I experienced the G-awful Planes, Trains and… for personal reasons, I flew back to Chicago in 2007 for my Aunt’s services, almost 20 years ago, God Bless. Started my current job teaching PMPs, 11 years ago and frequented airports every 2-3 weeks for 6 years, enough is enough! Now I present via Zoom! 😎 We have such a great home and local community, took us a lifetime to get here, so we don’t want to be away for more than a few weeks at a time, for the last 3 years, it’s been the Oliver only! That’s the beauty of the Oliver. We can visit the best of places just a few miles down the road! 😂

God Bless our military 🇺🇸

I also agree with Steve on this. Oliver used to be flexible with build modifications. Even in 2015 when we ordered and our trailer was started it was possible to negotiate modifications to their normal build. A year or so later that stopped and they started standardizing their assembly line, then bundled individual options into packages, etc., even to the point now where there is a standard graphics color. It makes economic sense for them. Best bet for a stripped down model is to do what John did and get a “vintage” trailer and take out all the worn out, outdated things and start over. Mike

@ScubaRx Steve is right on this one (as usual), and NO, not everything is negotiable. I've been low-balled on so many items I've listed used 4-sale and I walk away, NOT negotiating with them. I don't respond to the questions, what's the lowest you'll go? I'll go, but not with that guy. Knowing when to walk is half the "Art of the Deal." I would have loved the stripped-down Oliver, because I'm an engineer, auto mechanic and restorer at heart. I was going to modify everything to my liking anyway and it would have been cleaner without having to remove the old, patch fiberglass, etc. OTT offering a naked Oliver? Dumb business model. Their product, their intellectual property is the Oliver as a "special package." If they sold a bare-bones model they would lose most of their margin. They would have legal and warranty issues, the list goes on. Ford sells the E450 chassis and 100 RV manufactures build on it. That's not OTT!

Looks like they modified a Turbro unit like I have and fixed most or maybe even all the features I don't like about it.

Great job Jason and Aaron!

FYI, a Brinkley owner installed/tested the new Chill 15k low profile inverter AC.

The wide outside seals can also cause issues. GJ

@Boudicca908 would you mind sharing your impressions of the Chill Cube A/C in our Oliver? What was the sound level like outside when we were working next to it. What was the sound like on low when we went inside, and then when I lowered the thermostat and turned it up on high? So far, Forum Members have only read my opinion. There must be a lot of Oliver owners running the Dometic P2 this summer wishing they didn't have to! Thanks.

I often have to travel there for work and try to avoid summer. All my co-workers who live there remind me that the unofficial state bird is the mosquito.

Our first year after a short 3-day trip, our Oliver was parked at home for 6 months. I needed that time to rebuild the suspension, replace all belts and hoses, brakes, etc. on our tow vehicle. Hard to travel with the TV up on jack stands! We're opposite than most. We travel the fall, all winter long and spring and stay home most of the summers. Summers by us are not too hot at 5440 ft elevation but as soon as we go anywhere it gets hot in the lower elevations of the southwest. Summers of 2024 and 2025 the Oliver was home for 3 months at a time receiving all our many upgrade mods. No big mods this summer since I'm done with all that. Now that we can run A/C for several days on inverter we'll do more summer travel. We've been parked since early May but leaving tomorrow for Walnut Canyon, just east of Flagstaff. Just going for 4 nights, off this week, working next. So, two months now since our last trip. We enjoy lots of short trips around Arizona. We go camping, boondock often just an hour to a few hours from home, more so now with fuel prices high it's nice to get remote after a short drive. In 3 years, we have never put our Oliver into a storage state. No RV antifreeze, blow out the water lines when needed. Last winter was so mild it wasn't necessary. After our trip this week, I have two weeks off Aug-Sept and are planning 2 weeks in SW Colorado. Then another 6 weeks if all goes well we'll head east for The Rally. Longest time between camping trips? Going forward, I'd say it will be +/- 6 weeks for us! 😎

As I suggested - everything is negotiable.

We’ve been hiding out here for the past two years as camp hosts. “Free” site with electricity for a month. All we have to do is play nice with the other campers, be helpful once in a while, liaise with the rangers - and make sure the washrooms don’t run out of toilet paper. We did have to buy an annual vehicle pass last year - $35 - so I’m not whining too much. Though “North” is usually cooler than South - think Texas - it hasn’t been so great this year with the heat dome. We actually would have preferred even further North - like Lake Vermillion SP in the Boundary Waters, but Glacial Lakes is who invited us. Being 35 miles away from the nearest decent sized town (Alexandria) means we don’t head out too often to spend $$$ at nice restaurants. (Yeah, we’re spoiled.) But there IS a winery pretty close (Rolling Forks) which is a weakness of ours. Now that we have a few weapons against the various flying, biting pests - we don’t feel quite so helpless.

About three months every autumn since 2021 - but we’re not complaining too much as we’ve been spending that time in Europe and the UK.