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We use a 2.5” matress topper and love it. It is no longer available from Amazon but was listed as BedStory 2.5 Inch Mattress Topper RV Short King Size. It works great but sometimes pulls up from the sides a little after 5-7 days, but that’s when we usually change the sheets anyway. I would note that changing sheets and making the bed in a king Oliver ain’t easy, but we have gotten used to it

There are several of us here!

Thank you from at least one of us who isn't on facebook!

Just pressure cook any decent beef roast! Sometimes she adds a few cuts of meat but nothing expensive. You want flavor, the tenderizing comes from cooking. Then it's beef broth and Italian seasonings (PM me for recipe). In a separate pan, steam sliced Sweet Peppers (Chicago for steamed green peppers). She makes this in the Oliver too as we have a mini pressure cooker under the front dinette seat! And if you like Hot Peppers which is actually a spicy Giardiniera, order something like this and get some Vienna hot dogs while you're at it! Vienna Condiment Variety Packs Now it's time for a late lunch! 🤣

I know this is an old thread, but figured I’d add onto a thread that is close to my topic rather than start a new one. We’ve tried a couple of mattress toppers to make the “king” bed in the LE2 a little more comfortable for our old backs and stiff joints. Wr started with the basic 3” “memory foam” topper from Walmart that has no cover. It was just OK - but lacking a cover it tore easily and basically ended up in several pieces and had to be tossed. Next was the roughly 2-1/2 inch memory foam topper from IKEA that has a thick cotton/poly cover on both sides. The cover protects the foam and keeps it from getting wedged between the gaps between the cushions. BOTH memory foam toppers are incredibly heavy! Also too heavy for one person to carry by themselves. Both come compressed (Walmart - folded and strapped into a box about 2 feet square, IKEA - rolled in a dang heavy cylinder wrapped in heavy plastic. Between several spills - mostly cats launching morning coffee or tea onto the bed - the covers on the IKEA pad were looking pretty gross. They ARE removable and washable IF you have a super high capacity washer and about two hours to dry it. Getting the foam zipped back into the cover is fun to watch, but not impossible. When a window leak left us with a soggy bed, we decided to replace the topper. Off to IKEA. (Remind me never to go there again. I got my 10,000 steps that day.) We remembered that the memory foam topper we got the first time wasn’t quite the top of the line, so we figured “Oh boy! Upgrade!” but once we got there (and there wasn’t an employee to be found) we discovered they no longer have the topper we have - or the better one. Bummer. We chose a 2-3/4” standard (not memory) foam pad with similar padded cover. A bit lighter than the memory foam - but still just as expensive. $299 plus tax. We lugged it to the truck, unpacked it and heaved it on. Put on our sheets, and instantly - hated it. It bunches up. Pulls away from the sides, and leaves a mound between us. To be fair, we gave it two weeks to let it - and us - “adjust”. Today - we decided it’s not gonna work. We took it off, slid it back in the bag, and rolled it up. We dried out our previous IKEA memory foam mattress topper and I think we’re back to being mostly happy. When I get ambitious, I’ll pull the covers off and see if I can at least lighten the coffee stains. For those curious - the current IKEA product that gets our 1-star rating is the “Norrsele king très Grand Deux Places”. (If anybody wants it after I dissed it so thoroughly, let me know - I’ll make you a helluva deal.)

Thanks, Steve. Hey, mine is nothing fancy. I searched for an older thread where several owners had posted more high-end locks and coupler covers but could not locate it today. I do like this simple Curt coupler release lock, but one hit with a 5-LB hammer and the whole assembly would fly off: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T9N6H06/ The front ball lock I have is something that came with a used trailer I bought, not sure of brand name. For me something simple and less expensive is a basic deterrent. I believe unless your trailer is attached to the TV it's easy prey to steal. It can be towed away regardless of our efforts! Anybody can chain any trailer to the rear of a pickup, regardless of what is used to lock the coupler. Some buy expensive locks. Some have added an internal switch to prevent the jacks from being lowered (a really bad idea). This would cause additional damage because the thief would prefer to lift the jacks, but if you prevent that, they'll just drag 'er down the street anyway, damaging the jack(s) at a minimum and likely body or frame damage too. I used to rent garages in Cicero IL which is not exactly a safe neighborhood! Did all I could to keep my old cars and bikes safe. When I stored a trailer long-term, I would chain and padlock the two wheels together through the holes in the steel rims. If towed away the wheels on one side would lockup/burn rubber which would look rather odd while being towed on a slant down the road. I would make the chain/padlock obvious to a prospective thief as an initial deterrent. Lots of different opinions on this topic🤣!

I used to be fairly active on Facebook - even before social media became the way official government information is disseminated - but quit cold turkey several years ago and haven’t looked back. I found that even without all the suspicious groups and the collection of our indie action (Which can be used against you in SO many ways…) I found the “signal to noise ratio” to be very poor. Far too many trolls, too many people trying to scam you, people who had severe cases of rectal-cranial-inversion, or just folks whose parents never taught them manners. Unfortunately (I find I use that word a lot) it seems that many businesses and government agencies use Facebook instead of maintaining real web sites. They assume everybody is there. So I miss a lot from local police and other organizations. No Facebook, Twitter/X, instagram, “truth social” (hah!) or any of them.

Couldn't agree more. JD, I like your lock setup better than my own. What are you using and have you been happy with them?

Would LOVE to be able to make great Italian beef (sandwiches - dipped!) but have t tried my hand at that. I found Mariano’s deli has the meat and au jus - not bad. Unfortunately, “Greek Town” on Halstead street is a shadow of its former self (perhaps not quite as decimated as Maxwell street.) but condos have taken over all but two of the dozen Greek (and Cypriot) restaurants that were there ten or fifteen years ago. Yeah - I spent 50 years there and EVERY February I swore I’d had my last Chicago winter. Yeah - the traffic’s a pain - but so is Dallas. Seems like they’re always tearing up the interstate and clogging up the works. We needed to pick a place to officially call “home” - so no state income tax, and about half as much to put tags (plates) on our vehicles mean Texas beat Illinois. Also not fond of Illinois’ gun laws.

Where are all the Ollies? On this 4th of July, the 250th Anniversary of our Great Nation? In 2 weeks, we'll be camping the Coconino NF, first Walnut Canyon and then boondocking the Kaibab NF just south of the Grand Canyon. But on this special holiday, our Ollie is just parked at home. We enjoyed Prescott Frontier Days, the "World's Oldest Rodeo" this year. Annually, it runs over the 4th of July weekend. It was a fun evening! 🤠

Good idea. We did ours May 2025 when they were readily available. This upgrade sure provides a reassuring feeling when towing! 😎

It' just not the same and after 44 years of the hard city life, it was time to move on! Chris still has one sister and her oldest son there, goes back annually. For me, I go back rarely, but for weddings and funerals. We all miss the food! No better food in the world than all the ethnic variety of Chicago! Chris makes awesome Italian Beef sandwiches, far better than Vienna package foods and as good as any Chicago Ma & PA shop makes in the city! She makes decent pizza too, as we do NOT eat pizza out anymore. Only in Chicago do they make the right dough, thin or thick, and Italian sausage! She likes thin, I like both. But the only place we go when in Chicagoland is Freddy's Pizza in Cicero IL (SW side). The best Italian pizza/deli market in town! 😎

Our 2022 LE2 doesn’t have the side graphics like yours does - just the green/gold oval front and spare tire cover, so I’d likely opt for ‘white’ if I tried to repaint anything. That’s pretty low on my list. Our propane cover has the access hatch on the front rather than the top. It’s “white” too - and not different enough from the fiberglass that I’ve even noticed it.

And we both started from Chicago! 😎 It was a great city, back in the day. It still is a great city! Great for food and culture. I’m not into sports - but some people like that. (Oh, and REAL Chicago Pizza is THIN crust, tavern-cut. Yeah - I like a good debate.) I hate moving. My parents were renters - so we moved A LOT when I was young. Every time I’d move, I’d say “I’m never moving again unless they carry me out feet first!” I think we accomplished the “last” move because we no longer have a house or apartment. (Now if I could JUST empty out that 10x20 storage unit full of stuff that’s too good to throw away, but nobody wants to buy…) I just have to get a bit less sentimental and we can pare down the “must keep” stuff to fit in the same storage unit where we keep the Oliver when we’re out of the country.

@SeaDawg ?

The furnace, WHW and fridge vents were painted (see pic). Then I purchased new gray outlet boxes, LP hatch on doghouse, etc. I chose grey to match Oliver graphics and our TV is two-tone with grey in the lower sections. Didn't want more shades of white! I would love to have a grey door latch to match, but painting parts that are handled often is not a good idea. I could have replaced with the OEM chrome like shown in Rob's picture, but white powder-coat it is.

Not that we need one more special fluid to tote around in our trailers or TVs - but how about glycerin or KY jelly instead of a petroleum or even vegetable oil based product? I’ve found that the fiberglass collects stains so efficiently that I’d be leery of using anything that might add to my workload. My assortment of cleaning/polishing/waxing products requires its own tote!

And we both started from Chicago! 😎 It was a great city, back in the day. In 1999, a company move got us from IL to Northern VA. The big 51' moving trailer full. They even transported a couple of horses and a classic car! 🤣 The only time in my life we used a moving company in more than a dozen moves (only because the company paid)! VA to AZ in the 26' trailer mentioned above. Moved a classic '59 Chrysler 300E from TX to AZ on a HD car hauler. Moved AZ to TX to FL in the 16' box, 19' trailer we had for years. Lastly moved back to AZ from FL in 2018 after purchasing a new 18' box cargo trailer. I had every SF of this trailer packed. You can't see it but there are 3 motorcycles and a ton of tools in the front of the box! The red cargo trailer was the only one purchased new. Bought and sold 5 trailers all at a profit from buying well. Made a $700 profit on this last trailer which was breakeven for the diesel fuel spent on the move! 😎 Sorry for the thread drift, but we were done talking Casitas, right?

I would assume that I have the same door as all the early Elite 1 models. I wonder if any of those have failed?

We were in Tolono Nevada this past March and had such strong winds, it slammed the door of our truck open so hard I was worried it bent the hinges. (Luckily it didn’t) It also slammed the driver’s door closed while I was getting in or out and I literally had to fight to free myself. It also filled our nice “new” truck full of grit that I’m still vacuuming and dusting four months later. The point? If it’s at all windy - I just make it a point to HOLD THE DOOR - any door. I don’t find that I have to “fight” the door while trying to hook/unhook it. I just realize it’s preloaded to a point that assure there won’t be any “slop” when the door is hooked in the open position. I even found the right sized rubber grommets at my local hardware store so that when one gets cut, worn out, or disappears - I can pop a new one in. Doesn’t that equate to having to move the door with more than the force of a 40MPH wind any time you want to open and close it?!

I believe those of us with slight horizontal lines in the interior door skin were caused by wind, where the door flew open (several times through the years) hitting the black rubber stopper which stresses the door, causing these cracks. The damage to Craig's door is more extreme, likely something defective in its construction vs. more wind damage than the others. I'd rule out sun damage in either case since there is no damage to the exterior skin. The interior skin on Craig's door buckled, came out of the inside frame and separated from the core to do so! Did they miss gluing this area? Here again is the picture I took to show the Lippert Friction Hinges installed. I hadn't paid attention to the cracks on our door until this thread was started Nov '24, since the cracks are minor and often hidden by the screen door. I believe if Lippert or OTT made Friction Hinges standard, we would not see this wind damage, but not Craig's issue which looks like a manufacturing defect. Were the doors made differently through the years? I think not, except perhaps for Chris' @CRM with his one-off 2010 hull. Bill's @topgun2 door has no cracks. Mike @Mike and Carol and I both have minor cracks. These hulls are all 2016 and the doors likely came from the same Lippert batch. Perhaps Bill kept his door from banging on the stopper better than Mike did and I did (including prior owners). I know before I installed friction hinges the door flew out of my hands several times banging against the stopper as I cringed! It's often very windy where we camp! No more door bangs, no further damage since the friction hinges were installed. Craig, I'm very sorry to hear of your misfortune. I believe Lippert owes you a door. Your damage is not from abuse. At a minimum, ask them for money back on the core you paid for, that should still be under warranty, towards purchase of a new door. Make some noise and hope for some help! Best wishes, JD

I didn’t say I didn’t like them - just that if you’re keeping things white - you missed a spot. 😂 That said - you have an excellent point on the “10 shades of ‘white’”. The Truma cover, furnace cover, and fridge covers are all different. I try not to obsess too much…. Did you paint yours? Why did you choose grey over Oliver ‘white’?

I wish I had the time and forethought to do that. I did the U-Haul a few years back to close up our Chicago home and take a few items to Texas. Little did I know that the prices for the one-way vs local rentals are astronomically higher!

My issue with the OE Fairview was that it leaked profusely. We just connected a spare tank to our small two burner Coleman stove, Didn't need the space heater or hot wter inside. While on the road I had our son get on the jungle website and ordered a new one.

Oliver Bulldog 2 5/16 coupler upgrade. I decided to finally pull the trigger and upgrade our Oliver from a 2” 7000# Bulldog coupler to a new Bulldog 2 5/16” 12500 coupler. I also ordered a spare coupler repair kit. These 2 5/16” BD couplers are becoming difficult to locate and purchase with Bulldog filing for bankruptcy protection in Oct of last year😳. It’s my understanding, that BD is no longer manufacturing and shipping these couplers to RV manufacturers possibly due to bankruptcy proceedings. (open source) I did attempt to purchase a 2 5/16 BG coupler from Oliver and they no longer have this upgrade in stock and available to purchase and ship. Jerry at Oliver told me they have no idea if or when they will have this coupler in stock again and are seeking alternative options. Will there will be a restructuring with BD? Anyone’s guess. I will be taking the new coupler to a friend’s machine shop to have the holes precisely drilled. If you’re on the fence about upgrading to a 2 5/16 12,500 #coupler it might be a good time to search for a vendor that has one on the shelf and ready to ship. A big thank you to @rideandfly for helping source this coupler! The Vendor I ordered from was Croft Trailer Supply in Kansas City, Mo. Ended up myself, @rideandfly and @John Dorrer purchased the (3) they had in stock. If it’s an upgrade you’re considering you may not want to wait. Safe Travels! Hull#634 XPLOR