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It would help if you showed a picture of the "flat plug" on your new bike rack. Without seeing that, I might guess it could be the 4-pin trailer connection (for small trailers without brakes). Here is an example: Curt Vehicle Wiring Harness with 5-Pole Flat Trailer Connector - 60" Wire Lead CURT Custom Fit Vehicle Wiring C58531 What you're attempting is not an easy job! Most trucks that have the 7-blade connector also have a 4-pin connection zip-tied somewhere above the bumper. But the Oliver doesn't have one! 🤣 You can pick connections for brake lights, turn signals, reverse and running lights in one of two locations. 1) tap into the lights at the rear of the Oliver, or 2) at the junction box where OTT splices the 7-blade harness into the Oliver trailer wiring. I believe this junction box in newer Olivers is inside the bathroom vanity, but who knows on a 2026. In our hull it's easily accessed under the front dinette seat (see picture). If I was doing this for our hull, I would pick option #2 since you can see these wires are easily accessible (likely not so in your Oliver). The link I supplied shows a 60" wire which is fine for rear wiring. If you are going up to the front harness, you want something like this that has longer wires. It's actually rather easy to run wiring from the rear, along the streetside basement, all the way up to front junction box. 35 Ft 4-Way Trailer Wiring Harness - Wishbone Style - 42" Ground Optronics Trailer Wiring A35W42B The hard part front or rear is to tap into the existing wiring. I rarely recommend using 3M Scotchlok™ connectors, but I would in this case since secondary rear wiring on a bike rack is not exactly "mission critical." Hope this helps! 😎

Yeah, at a minimum you gotta remove the basket to spray Vortex. As you can see in my picture, it gets rather dirty under there! I removed all this just for ceramic coating, to do the job right. Removed the doghouse handles and latches, the outlet plates, anything screwed down or riveted. Whatever doesn't come off has to be masked for Vortex application. Can't stand warning labels either! You can see where a couple were removed and the one showing was removed next. With the basket off, it can be cleaned thoroughly with a degreaser that you wouldn't want to use if the basket was still above fiberglass. I'm not interested in PPF or Vortex. Now that we have a good ceramic coating shine we prefer to enjoy the clean look. Don't forget mud flaps, regardless of other protection, and not just on the TV. I found the dirtiest part of the Oliver was always the fiberglass underneath behind the Oliver wheels all the way to the rear bumper, grease, road tar, etc. It was bad, but not anymore! Either way, the result is in the prep work! 😎

AI keeps telling us that the local SSA office CAN print out the report we need IF we can convince them to. But these days you need to make an appointment online and “I’ve tried mailing this and it keeps getting lost” isn’t a choice if the appointment system. AI also says if all else fails “Call your Congressman” yeah - if you haven’t had enough of inefficient bureaucracy yet.

We do the clean-up each time we break camp. (Though around the cat little box - every time we attend to it.) We have a carpet runner - that goes from the bathroom door to under the edge of the (king) bed and covers the width of the “linoleum”. I shake it out to get rid of the loose dirt, and we wash it about once a month or so. Our biggest issue is cat hair - which seems to be magnetically attracted to the upholstery. It’s not a big issue for the furnace return register as we rarely use it. We go through the sticky “lint rollers” at a pretty good rate. We did inherit one of those large outdoor rugs/mats that we use if we’re going to be in one place for more than a few days. Out West, we found it likes to blow away. We found it two or three camp sites downwind once.

Hi folks, Totally non-Oliver and not even travel or trailer related - but wanted to ask if anybody had any tips for getting the Social Security Administration to actually do their job. About two years ago Debra contacted a former employer’s pension administrator to claim the pension she had coming for 20 years service. They told her they had no record of her even working there, and would need to obtain a detailed report from SSI to prove she worked there. OK - a bit wired, but not the first time we’ve had something odd happen. (My theory: Debra’s last name starts with two “A”s, so my data processing background tells me that first record in a database often gets pulled in as a column label and lost.) Anyway - download, print, fill out the form from SSI online, send it in with the required fee, and wait - up to 120 days. 120 days - and then some - come and go and no report in the mailbox. Several calls and holding for hours online and the final answer is “we can find your request and we’ll have someone look into it and get back to you.” (Guess what happened…) Several more weeks/months later we have to contact them again - still no record of the request - they DO show the payments received though. Fast-forward to a year later after several more phone calls. They send a packet out that says they couldn’t complete the request because they couldn’t find the signed form - so she has to start all over- but - they do send a voucher of sorts showing payment. So - she re- mikes the whole thing with the voucher and a new, signed request form - and we wait. No reply 150 days later. So the phone calls begin. Again. Last week - the person on the phone says “We have no record of your request… we’ll escalate this to a priority level” (which they did twice with the first one.) So - here we are with a pension we can get because SSI can’t fulfill a fairly routine report of the records the pension custodian needs to do their job. Debra wasn’t even going to pursue it, but I worked for the same company and am receiving a pension. (Different last name.) so I KNOW there’s $$$ on the table. Any suggestions besides tearing hair out?!

Is THAT what the Oliver looks like without the front storage basket?! I barely recognize it…

I figured if I got totally locked out - even though we kept a set of trailer keys in the truck - I can just slide a side window open from outside and climb in cat-burglar style. The 2025 Sierra has the keyless entry (fob in pocket or purse) which is reliable (so far) and you can also unlock it with your smartphone. (Which is usually reliable - u less there’s no cell service…) So I’ve kinda gotten used up not using it needing a key. As I mentioned before - I know there are a lot of keyless locks around, though most likely not suitable for RVs. I’m sure there’s some other ones out there that are simpler and less prone to failure. As I also mentioned - using our trailer for several months at a time for five years now, I’m not going to gripe too much about things that quit working. I’ve had to replace the smoke alarm twice, the CO/propane detector, swap out the tire valve stem cores, stop the Truma water heater from sending fireballs out the side of the trailer, replace the television, yank out the awning seal, replace the Nor-cold freezer hinges twice, the Furrion Stereo, one touch-light and another one failing, replace the black tank valve, patch up a leaky window frame, tear the MaxxFan down to replace the motor, oh - and the dang Dometic A/C still sounds like a 747 with full takeoff power. (see there? You got me started….)

2026 LEII hull 1673. Just purchased a new bike rack Kuat Piston Pro X for the back of the Oliver that has turn signal and brake lights installed in the rack. It requires a flat plug connection. Any suggestions on how to get that flat plug powered from the trailer? I searched the database for “flat+plug” and didn’t see anything…

We have a daily interior clean-up. Amazing the amount of dog hair that comes out of the vacuum. We have 3 small shower rugs that I take out and brush off. Shake out Fiona's bed sheet, and also brush off the L.L. Bean waterproof mat at the door. 5-8 minutes out of our day. The heater exhaust vent is the first thing my wife vacuums. She does the interior cleaning. Once a year I wipe down the inside fiberglass and use the wax mix TopGun shared with the group.

With my Turbro Inverter, once it reaches set temp I'm seeing between 250-600 watts during the day in 85-95 degree weather with 80+ humidity so you're probably pretty close with your numbers- and we keep the inside temps low, too... around 70-72. Haven't monitored during the night yet but obviously the watts draw will be even lower. Don't know why anyone who boondocks would buy anything but an inverter AC/Heat pump.

Yep, me too on slippers. So much dirt, we know why! His bed is at the end of the aisle! Picture of Charley when we first got our Oliver, first cleaning too. Now with some age and TALL mattresses, he can't get up on the beds anymore! I hadn't noticed the edges being bad, but I guess the older floors were different. We use carpet runners which collect most of the dust. Chris uses our Dewalt vacuum around the edges and under the dinette, takes her 2-3 minutes. I remove the short runner at the entrance every 2-3 days and give it a whip on both ends which removes most of the dirt. Roll up the long one between trips to wash. We put them in the washing machine at home which has worked well. Recently one edge started fraying on the long one and Chris hemmed that edge. We have 151 overnights on these runners according to my Oliver Travels spreadsheet. Not bad. They're 26" wide which is a perfect fit, and you can order by the foot in length. One 10' and 4' fills everything perfectly except under the dinette. He has learned to sleep on his mat by the nightstand. 😎 Amazon.com: ORFA HOME Custom Size Hallway Runner Rug, Slip/Skid Resistant, 26 Inch Wide X Your Choice of Lenght, Solid Blue, 26 Inch Width X 10 Feet Length, Sold and Priced Per Foot : Home & Kitchen

We’ve got the manual door lock, too. It’s one of those things (like the suburban hot water tank) that is simple and reliable. One less thing to worry about when you are way out “there”. Mike

Here- no sweeping, just open the screen door dust goes back where it came from. Helps keeping the exterior screens clean too. Neither of us wear our shoes while in the Oliver. We have found this little blower is super handy. Also works for blow drying a washed TV and inside and out. “No brooms club here” 😄 Harbor Freight - BAUER 20V Cordless, 200 MPH/120 CFM Compact Workshop Blower - Tool Only $40

You're welcome! And you will not be sorry. If you're waiting to later in the year, we won't get real feedback from you until the following summer. Looking forward to seeing results from somebody who lives east where humidity is certainly a climate factor in A/C performance, I've tried running a couple studies and each time I failed to capture full data every 24 hours, but I have some preliminary findings. With highs in the low 90s for a full week, lows high 60s, I set temp on the Chill Cube at 80F (cabin temp on Ruuvi showed 79F consistently) which is a good set temp for parking the Oliver outdoors in the summer. I got good data for three 24-hr periods which averaged at 108 Ah used per 24 hours, A/C running 24x7. I know I I took snapshots every day for a week but don't get me started on iCloud because sometimes pics just disappear off my phone! Beyond the 3 days of verified data, I know for a fact that I ran the Chill Cube for ONE (1) FULL WEEK on our 900 Ahs! After a week SOC was down to a low 18%. This translates to 105 Ah per day. Keep in mind, when low 90s outside, and if there was no A/C running, the Oliver Cabin would get up to 99F min or low 100s! Then I tried another test, A/C set temp at 74F which is a comfortable temp for camping. I was able to run our A/C for four (4) full days, 4x 24x7, again highs low 90s. Daily Ah used was 135, 209, 270, 136. I have no idea why yhe numbers varied in this way as the weather was rather consistent. Average over 4 days is 188 Ah per day. I cannot believe how efficient this runs. One additional factor: these numbers are net of the fact we have 320W rooftop solar which produces 10-20A per hour half the day. Next test I should account for this or just turn off the SC so everything is pulling from the 900 Ah Epoch batteries. Did you know the Dometic P2 once it gets past the Soft Start procedures draws 150A or higher? In this short test, the Furrion Chill Cube on average took as much power cooling for 24 hours as the Dometic P2 would use in one hour and fifteen minutes. Scotty, I'm seeing much better savings than "about half the power!" But camping in hot humid times in the east, you should half the power, or perhaps 40%. Can't wait to see! I'll run a better test in a few weeks when we get daily highs in the high 90s. It just cooled off here and thankfully for the next week or two we're back to spring-like temps in the low 80s. 😎

I first sweep with my hand-sized whisk broom and then crawl on my hands and knees and clean with a mild dampened towel to pick up the remaining grit and dirt. I do this often. On my Oliver, like Ronbrink's, the only really ugly section is below the shower door and I have been wondering about how to tackle that yellowed section. Glad for this thread. And I always remove my shoes at the door and wear 'house slippers' inside. It's a real wonder how so much dirt gets in and all the way down the aisle to the beds!

A picture worth a thousand words. Thank you for that!

Obviously, I missed it! Thank you.

Lamar, keep fighting the good fight! Certainly, Bill has good advice in contacting OTT management directly. You're not asking for too much, so I hope you stick to your position. OTT can reuse the 2KW inverter in another installation. Wholesale costs between a 2KW vs. 3KW Xantrex is likely about +$200 or not much more. Labor to replace the inverter and rewire all 120VAC circuits through the new 3KW inverter should be 2 shop hours. I know I could do this work in one afternoon and I'm older/slower than the younger contract electrician billing flat-rate shop hours! 😎

We're in agreement on this one! Ours might have been a Wi-Fi Ranger. I do remember testing it and it actually made the signal weaker! We went with a Pepwave router to stream on cell and a Starlink Mini for when there is no cell coverage. I removed the Wi-Fi antenna, both cameras, gave away the (yes clunky) screen and the Sat Dish from our roof and patched all the fiberglass. We have the manual door lock, now for 10+ years. After reading that the rubber contact pads were fading on these auto-locks, most of you with this feature were carrying keys just in case, and the deadbolt issue as Tom fully explained above, like @routlaw noted, I/we decided to pass on this upgrade. Good Customer Service is great, but if the product continues to fail it becomes nuisance, or worse if you truly get locked out! I purchased a backup manual lock to have on the road if needed. I found a cool white powder coat model on sale vs. the original chrome latch. If you get tired of dealing with your auto-latch, you could go manual: Amazon.com: Lippert Global Entry Door Latch Kit with Deadbolt, Keyed Lock, Two FIC Keys, Edge Cover Plate, Strike Plate, Mounting Screws for Travel Trailers - 239632, White : Automotive Honestly, this clean white door latch looks better too! The only thing that has failed on our entrance door is the screen door latch, so I replaced it with one of these: Amazon.com: WanDwel Aluminum RV Screen Door Latch Handle Replacement Kit (Right Hand) Metal Camper Travel Trailer Motorhome Entry Parts for Passenger Side : Automotive

The Wonder Egg has had Vortex over the lower front, just like taylor.coyote's picture for about 8 years now. Yes, it added 40 lbs to the weight, but is impervious to rocks. I hesitated to take a trip to Alaska until it was applied. Now, I'll go anywhere, (within reason).

So far, warm water, auto soap and a sponge have done the trick to clean the vortex

I have to say ..... I think jd1923 may have converted me to the Church of the Furrion Chill Cube. I was very fixated on condensate running down the outside of the trailer and NOT on the amount of power needed to run the damn thing. I've been doing some research on power draw on this A/C vs. the dometic and other compressor types and am pretty much amazed. All in all about half the power needed to run the Chill Cube. And quiet. We are scheduled for a lithium upgrade toward the end of the year and will have the A/C replaced at the same time. Right now... I am going with the Chill Cube. Thanks JD for the help on this. Appreciate it. Scotty

Probably a logical conclusion. The lock was part of the “Electronics Pro Package” that OTT offered as part of the initial trailer ordering. Pretty sure it was bundled with the rear camera, Auto drain, and the cell booster as well. I never use the rear camera (remote view screen too clunky) and I’m not convinced that the cell booster does much - if anything - to increase your cell signal. The keyless lock is the only part of that package that I found any value in. (OK - the auto drain - I forgot that was part of the package. Thought you be fair, “auto” is a bit of a misnomer as you have to actuate it manually.) We use our trailer - and the door lock - A LOT. So I’m not sure that failing after two years is really terrible MTBF for something that may have been designed for being used for a couple of weeks a year. Then again, I’ve seen a lot of residential and commercial keyless locks that seem to last forever. Whether any of them is suited for use on an RV door is up for grabs. RVLock is sending me the parts “free” - no shipping charges this time. I did have to take a video, edit it down to be a small enough file to attach to an email, and took four tries to get it to send. (Yahoo never did work, had to use GMail).

I had thought about buying one of these as well, now I'm not so sure. Seems like another unreliable RV headache in its current iteration.