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I went with suggesting the diesel and exhaust brake, knowing full well Dan would chime in with the EV truck. 🤣 I imagine he’s right about power and downhill braking. Still not sure I’d want to be looking for charge stations while camping though. The main issue may come down to cost. You can’t buy an older EV and they are quite costly compared to the 1500 series gas truck.

Girard uses #3 Phillips screws to secure the end caps to the awning, over time these screws can oxidize and become difficult to remove which may result in cam-out of the screws. Additionally the location of the bottom end cap screw closest to the hull prevents a normal sized screwdriver from positively engaging the screw head due to its proximity to hull roof. To aide in removing the screws a short right-angle screw driver or a #3 Phillips bit with a 1/4" socket wrench allows sufficient force to be applied and clearance to break the screws loose. Once out a coating of anti-seize on the screws will prevent future problems. My awning has only a single limit adjustment screw which is quite different than the illustration included in my Girard manual. I'll include a picture for reference. A little prevention goes a long way when your batteries in the remote go dead or the remote fails and you have no other choice than to pull the end cap off the awning and manually retract the awning. Notes: The limit screw requires a 4mm Allen wrench ( 1/4 turn = 1" of travel ) The retraction bolt requires a 13mm wrench

If you already have several 5Ah Dewalt batteries, bring 2-3 with you. I had two 6s that were 3 years old. Burnt one leaving it attached to Starlink overnight. While sleeping it went to zero, no lights, wouldn’t recharge. Gave the other 6 to my son after I bought two 10 Ah which stay in the Oliver. Mounted one of my chargers in the Attic. The two 10s will last a full 24 hr cycle, each will run the Mini for about 8 hours. Figure the 5 Ah Dewalts to last 3-4 hours each. You’ll need something like this: https://a.co/d/0boBnuD4 I like the cost and simplicity of the 1 1/2” PVC but the umbrella stand is really too big. Wish I had a good place to store it but lately I stopped bringing it and one campsite this trip we were back to laying it on a milk crate 10 ft behind the Oliver. 90% of the time, I can use my truck mount, move the truck a few feet over to clear trees when needed. Love our complete setup of truck-based 5G Cell/Starlink/Wi-Fi! Pull the Mini and PVC section out of my truck toolbox and we’re ready in one minute, all devices already Wi-Fi connected to our “Home” network. 😎 I’m also big about using what you have. Perhaps you can adapt one of your tripods to work effectively. I do suggest eventually to get something truck mounted. The TV can often be moved some. When parking the Oliver, the level spot, sun/wind orientation, the direction of your view, are all more important than clear sky to the north.

One area of quality that I've never seen discussed, is the level and plumb of interior cabinets. Our kitchen counters are way off level from the floor, and from any other area where you might normally check for level when parking. Consequently, we have to set level from the kitchen countertop, to keep the stove level, and then everything else is off level. That might be a good delivery checklist item, because I would have never accepted that condition, but I didn't discover it until we got back to California. It looks like the countertop could be removed and leveled out easy enough, but then the drawers would still roll out on their own with the floor level.

We took delivery on August 20, 2026 spent the night and had a planned meet-up "Dickens" at the Cumberland Mountain State Park in Crossville, TN for our first trip. Looking forward to more trips like this!

I totally agree I had the same problem. Having the opposite side down I noticed that the axles were slanted side to side, but also skewed a little front to back. If I had to do it over I would have raise the whole trailer up and level with no pressure on all 4 hubs/tires. I did buy 2 cheap scissor jacks from Amazon to fine tune the height of the axle I was working on helped a lot. I could adjust the height of the scissor jack by hand and get things exactly where I needed them. here is the jack I bought https://www.amazon.com/TCE-AST10202SU-Torin-Cross-Scissor/dp/B0CP78MZMK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2H17OYSVYKERR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bwqlOzBbCSEQIvYLwTJphg.4A7CLcc1r9OBfO4aqVO_k8xMRyWPESElnwC8J8uQsm4&dib_tag=se&keywords=TCE%2BAST10202SU%2BTorin%2BWide%2BBase%2BCross%2BCar%2BScissor&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1789315759&s=automotive&sprefix=tce%2Bast10202su%2Btorin%2Bwide%2Bbase%2Bcross%2Bcar%2Bscissor%2Cautomotive%2C238&sr=1-1&th=1

Life events have put our travel on hold this past year, but on our last long trip to the PNW last fall we did see lots of crowds at most of the 7 national parks we visited. Less crowding durning the week, but weekends were busy. We stayed at some really nice state parks in WA, OR, ID and UT that were not crowded at all. $100K is a lot for an Oliver, we’d be stretched if we needed to buy one now. Like Bill, ours seemed like a lot of money in 2016 ($51K) but not as scary as 100K. There have been some significant changes and upgrades, windows, shades, bathroom door, convection, and more. Not to mention batteries/power options. We thought 4 AGMs was a big deal 10 years ago! Welcome back! Mike

That's a tricky part of the job for sure. I remember using a bottle jack under the axle and also under the spring pack to help center the pin in the hole. I also jacked the other side of the trailer up a bit to allow the axle to be manipulated a little. It's tricky doing it by yourself. The important thing is to make sure the pin is aligned in the hole all around, any remaining gap will be taken care of when you tighten the U-bolts. It also helps to put a bit of grease on the pin.

55k in 2016 is around 76-77k in today's dollars. Though as you say- there more standard options these days.

We have a 2022 Elite 2. I don't think the quality of our particular unit is as good as ones from earlier years. Maybe it was the rapid expansion of production due to COVID, or maybe ours was just built on a Monday, can't say, but we've had quite a few issues. OTOH, there are things missing on the current models that we enjoy on ours. We like the rear window that can open, the built-in sound system, the larger freezer in our fridge, the reading lights on both ends of the beds, and a few other details not present on the new units. I don't think we would buy another new Oliver at the current price points. (If we were buying today, we'd be looking at a Wingamm mini-motorhome.)

Did the curbside yesterday. Took longer than I expected so it’s two days overall. Went fine once I figured out the tricks. The one thing is the springs (or at least one) center top, where the center tie bolt of the spring goes into a centering hole on the cradle plate, isn’t quite sitting flush. I haven’t torqued everything down yet and I’m not sure why it’s not fully nestled in there yet. Hoping that once I do the other side it’ll all settle out, but if anybody has an idea.

Before making your decision spend some time test driving the Denali or AT4 EV. Seriously - just take some test drives, why not? GM is so gung-ho on EV’s because their data shows 4 out of 5 people, once you get them in an EV, never go back. As a tow vehicle you’ll find that it kills everything else. Uphill more torque/power than every other truck out there, and downhill you don’t use your brakes and it all regenerates into the battery. As for squat it has independent rear coil suspension (one motor per axel no transmission) so it’s minimal, under an inch. Add a little bit of WD and there’s none. Regarding adaptive ride, the Denali EV has airbag suspension which adapts height. It doesn’t have the adaptable shock absorbers, but with an entirely different suspension design (independent coils) I don’t think it needs it. You also get rear steer, it has the turning radius of a small compact like the Bolt. Parking lots are a breeze. Not to mention the software and interior tech …

I took 5-6 years to make a choice. Started Oliver, went through the Airstreams, Escapes to Bigfoot, and almost last minute fortunately went back to Oliver which was the absolute right choice. I’ve only become happier with it as times gone on. But unfortunately during that period the price got seriously jacked up. Originally I think it was running in the 60’s which was fine but now is over 100k. On the good side it was worth the wait, the only two features I wanted in the trailer was an induction stove and frameless windows - both which happened to drop in 2026 when we were buying. More luck, the ‘27’s dropped the valances, roller shades and single control windows which I prefer. So it was the right time for us regardless of the price. As for value the nearest competitor is Airstreams which are roughly the same price. But there you get (crummy IMO) manual awnings, no battery with little upgrade options, 2kW inverter IIRC, no compost option (LOVE THE COMPOST TOILET lol …) and a trailer which leaks. As many Airstreamers have said “it WILL leak”. As for pizzaz the Airstreams are awfully cool to look at, but so is the Oliver. Not a lot in the West and I constantly get compliments “that’s the prettiest little trailer I’ve seen”. Under the hood the Oliver is just superior in every way too. Not looking down my nose on Airstream - I wanted to buy at one point, but being an engineer I looked deep into them and they’re consumer grade honestly.

$100,000 has a BUNCH of sticker shock value. However, - roughly speaking - the value of a dollar declines around 50% every seven to ten years or so. So, I bought my Oliver is 2016 for about $55,000 and to the degree that inflation statistics are true then my Oliver would "normally" be priced at around $110,000 in today's dollars. And, today's Oliver has a number of what used to be options already included in the price plus a few things that have been improved over the past ten plus years. Finally, I look at the value of my net worth compared to ten + years ago and realize that I'm in better financial shape today then I was in 2016. Come on back to the Family! We're waiting for you. Bill

Hi, Thanks for everyone for your input. You filled a lot of blanks in my knowledge, and allowed me to research several things dealing with the Starlink Mini and accessories. Here is where I am starting. 1. I found out that StarLink is starting production runs of the Mini V2 Sattelite dish. It will use very slightly less power, and includse a 4S lithium battery integrated in to the back of the Dish with 71Wh battery. Most likely the back will change due to the battery and the attachments will need to change, so 3rd party stuff will need to be redesigned. They will be using a USB-C for external power. After reading about the new version. I do not think I want the new version. I think I will stay with the current version, with so many accessory options out there. I think presently I have seven 5Amp (100 Wh theorically, 90Wh in real life) DeWalt batteries at home and 3 chargers. I could free up 2 batteries and 1 charger. Or if I bought new batteries, I could buy two 5 Amp batteries. There are always places having sales on them, and it would probably be cheaper than the newer version Mini batteries. Anyway, I placed an order today for the current Starlink Mini and 100GB Roam plan for $55/month. 2. We are going out to the beach for 5 days, it would be a great time to do some testing of the Mini the distances from the trailer and internet speeds with 120V hookup. After I do the distance/up and download speed testing I will make a decision on router needs. 3. I haven't made a decision on mounting yet. I have a 2 tripods, one normal size and small Joby Gorillapod, they take up little space. The Joby is very configurable for uneven terrain like on boulders or slopes. I will test them, looking at stability and ease of set up. I expect JDs setup to be extremely stable and quicker setup. I think I might be able to hook the battery adaptor to the PVC pole on the stand, The Umbrella Stand just takes up more physical space in the truck. 4. After I get back home I will do functionality test of the stand by mode. I had problems with the Starlink AI Bot purchasing a the Starlink plan and Mini. I wanted to pay the cost outright. The bot just signed me up for payments over 12 months. The Bot couldn't cancel the order and the order was locked in before I could get logged in (minutes). The Bot tells me I can cancel upt o 3 hours after ordering, but the system won't let me. Boy was I pissed. I got tired of hearing, "I am sorry, that's on me". I left a scathing anti-AI review. The only saving grace for Starlink is a real person called back 5 hours later and fixed it so I could call back after receiving the Mini, and they would allow me to pay off the Mini. About 10 minutes after purchasing the mini, a youtube video popped up about Starlink charging large service charges, $200 - $1500, for any changes to their account. These charges have been in high data traffic areas where area is overloaded and they are constantly degrading customers bandwidth. He said these charges should go down/away after the Gen3 satellites start taking the load off (64x increase in throughput) off which will be placed with the upcoming starships. Their hope is to deploy twice as many Satellites per load with the starships. Also some good info on life cycles of the satellites. Thanks again Everyone for your input, Bob

Howdy, I have a 2020 Oliver Elite 2, 2nd owner. Hull # 644. 3-way Norcold fridge was working great most of the time on my 3 month trip from Texas to Alaska, always on propane. Then we filled freezer with freezer packed frozen fish. Fridge was pretty full too. But a few weeks ago we noticed fridge was warmer. (Freezer was still freezing though) then every now and then the fridge would be off with an error code N. I was able to reset that with jumper cable and it would start cooling, but then in a day or two it would be off again. we emptied most of fridge, we made sure the thermostat thing on interior fins is at the top, turned fridge up to 9. Oliver is always level, we cleaned fridge and seals, the fan is running, but it does get really hot in both compartments. Most of our trip we stayed in cool temperature locations, never needing AC. Seems like fridge just keeps having issues. now I’m home in Texas, it’s very hot here. Fridge is completely empty and all cleaned up. I left it turned off for a couple days. Turned it on using gas, it ran about a day, then error message N. I plugged my trailer into a 110 outlet and tried to run on AC, it turned off and gave different error code of no electric. Switch it to DC and it’s running, fridge is still seeming not cool, freezer is feeling pretty cold. I took some photos of what my 2 compartments look like. The top one has stacks of styrofoam an metal tape and the bottom is 2 metal plates over the top of the fins and fan in the back. I currently have both covers off and pulled up the 2 metal plates to allow more air flow around the fan. I have used small rubber mallet to tap black coils. I could add ice to fridge and freezer to assist cooling? I have checked all 3 fuses- good! All connections of wires look good. Everything is dry in the back, nothing leaking, no smells. ive been reading everything I can find. What am I missing? When Oliver installs the fridge do they put all that styrofoam and the metal plates in the top? ( that seems to restrict air flow). It’s hot to the touch in both compartments. Really hot here in texas, but they were hot in Alaska and in Colorado too. any new ideas out there? thanks, Tanya Phillips Austin, TX Hull 644

Thanks - we did a lot of boondocking, and don't have a problem getting there, gravel, dirt, or whatever. Good point on the class b, 100 grand for a lot less capability. We usually carried extra 10 gal of h2o and had the composting toilet - still undecide on this going forward. The shoulder seasons will be targeted this time around, now that "work" is behind us.

I have a two Honda generator setup however in recent years I've just brought one when traveling to save space and weight. I have charged the batteries using the single Honda occasionally but it does obviously take longer (than if two Hondas are paired) and the Honda runs flat out. I do limit the Xantrex charge current. I believe that Honda now offers a single generator higher current solution that isn't too much bigger or too much heavier. If I were to do it these days I'd probably do that.

We find it reasonably easy to escape crowds but it depends on your style and setup. A few of our rules that have led to success. We almost never camp on friday and saturday nights. We rarely hook up to anything ( water, electricity, etc). With these two alone we find crowds are easy to avoid. We purchased in 2023 and it was pricey then but its all a matter of perspective. Alot less than a class a, b or c and we already had our tow vehicle. So all in all the quality and manufacturer support structure make it worthwhile for us.

We got our trailer in 2019 and feel like the crush of people in the outdoors was and is still significant. Our solution has been to spend most of our time off the grid, off paved roads and away from the national parks except for the off season. We have had fantastic trips Nov through Jan in the southwest the last couple of years. Count us out for mainstream campgrounds, state and national parks May through August. We must work to avoid crowds but have always found wide open space in the west side of the USA. Lots of BLM and other remote space to explore. If you are opposed to gravel roads and off-season travels, you will likely be crushed by the crowds. Yep, 100k for new trailer is a big bite. We found ours used in great shape. We did have to upgrade solar / batteries and few other things but got great value buying used. Water is the gating item for extended of the grid travel. We equipped our truck with an additional 30 gallon water tank enabling extend time off the grid. Best of luck. Hope to cross paths in the open spaces out west.

It has been a long time since I have been on the forum. We had 359, 2018, and went a lot of places, really enjoyed the experience but other life choices got in the way, and we let it go to some good folks that were sure to enjoy it. One of the key reasons for selling was the crowds that seemed to be everywhere we went. A few questions for the forum - has the crowding subsided at all, and Wow, the prices now - seems $100k is the entry price for a II, - do the newer owners feel the value is still there from a quality and feature standpoint. I'm really liking most of the changes - and am actually looking at the smaller Elite - but not sure the price differential is worth the downsizing Thanks for any feedback..

I'll help - but, it really is a very simple install. Bill

Bill, if you offer free installation, I bet you'll have takers.

Press and hold the OK button until it beeps. The display will show the Setting # on the left and its value on the right. Click the Up button until you reach setting 28, then press OK. The value will flash. Use the Up button to change the value (it maxes out at 50, then starts over again). Click OK to confirm the new value. Press and hold ESC to exit settings. (BE CAREFUL NOT TO ACCIDENTLY CHANGE ANY OTHER SETTINGS.)

It’s the Starlink router, RJ45. The dish came with a pretty long power cable and we got a similar length cable for the router. We ran the cable from the dish back to the trailer, through the dinette window (screen slightly open) to the router that we set on the dinette table. Beside the tonneau cover and tongue box we’ve used the picnic table to set the dish on, and we’ve also just set it on the ground. Just wherever has the best shot to a clear sky in the right direction. If we’re gone for the day I just bring it inside until we get back.