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@Patriot, unfortunately we don't have the rear receiver on our Ollie so no bike rack. As I remember, Oliver wants >$1000 for the receiver mount. For that much money, I'd rather put racks on the TV. Tony
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Don, @dhaig thanks for the post. I did read the whole thread and I remember you mentioning using clips to hold drying items on the bars but I must have missed the ring residue part. These new cups seem to attach pretty securely but they're very clean since they are new. Since they were only attached for a few minutes and left rings I was concerned that long term use might make the rings more permanent but I'll get some auto detailer to keep in the Ollie. During my thread reading last night I found a thread mentioning using a solvent to remove plasticizer from new plastic. I may try this on the cups. I set the suction cups on some of the pink rigid foam insulation in my shop and it stuck to the foam. I've used water on suction cups on the TV windshield (TPMS monitor, GPS) but not petroleum jelly because it's hard to reach the base of the windshield to clean off. Shouldn't be a problem on the side of the Ollie. I have also read @John E Davies thread on making an inside clothes line. I liked the idea but didn't want to drill more holes so I took your suction cup idea and applied it to the inside of the Ollie. Harbor Freight sells single suction cup lifters, so I bought two and use them on the ceiling or high on the walls for a drying line inside the Ollie. Must be different material since the single cups haven't left rings. Tony
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I really like My Ollie. I want to see the Oliver company do well. God bless all ya'll.
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Oliver just sent this out to owners on June 30th to those who have opted receive their regular marketing emails.
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We never did purchase a suction cup style bar. Our 1UP USA Super Duty bike rack it works great as a towel dryer or we just use our camp chairs. Necessity is the mother of invention. 😎 Old photo after our Truma Aventa factory install which Oliver did a stellar job on. We are so glad we got the low profile Truma when we did. One of our top retro mods.
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@Tony and Rhonda, take a look at a prior response to a similar question I had made on 12/30/24, appearing on a prior page of this thread. (Also includes tips on using clips to secure towels to the rack under windy conditions), When I first fabricated my towel rack I had tried to fasten them to the gelcoat dry. The suction cups would not retain grip to the trailer gelcoat, so I tried dampening the black suction cups with water. While the suction cups appeared to be holding firm to the body of the trailer, inevitably, the suction cup on one or both ends of the rack would loose grip and fall to the ground. Sometimes the suction cups would loose grip in a few minutes and at other times hold a few hours. The suction cups would leave a ring mark on the trailer gelcoat which I was able to remove with some auto detailing cleaner and a rag. I learned a trick from another OTT owner who owned a business selling bird feeders which mounted to window glass using suction cups. He had followed the thread I posted and had made a towel rack to use on his LEII. From his experience mounting bird feeders with suction cups he learned the trick is to use a very thin coating of petroleum jelly (Vaseline or equivalent) on clean suction cups prior to mounting them to the body of our LEII. The petroleum jelly enables the suction cups to achieve a much stronger bond than by dampening them with water. He had also recommended, as an alternate to the petroleum jelly, applying extra virgin olive oil.to the suction cups. I found both the petroleum jelly and the olive oil were much more effective in achieving a strong grip with the suction cups. The olive oil I found would leave a slightly green ring pattern on the gelcoat. The petroleum jelly leaves a slightly yellow ring. In both cases, I was able to clean off the residue from the gelcoat using the auto body detailing cleaner. I find the petroleum jelly slightly less messy to apply. I have not tried any other substances which could provide adequate suction cup hold to the gelcoat, but not leave some residue. So, for over three years I have used the petroleum jelly predominantly and just accepted I would need to clean the residue rings when I do post trip cleaning of trailer. About a year ago I did a thorough cleaning of the trailer exterior and applied a coating of Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Spray Coating. I was motivated to try the ceramic coating to reduce the effort (or need) to clean residue from insect collisions from the front of the trailer following a trip through insect heavy areas. I have been pleased with the results of using this ceramic coating product. The insect collision residue on the nose of the trailer is much easier to remove AND as a bonus, the suction cup residue rings also clean off with little effort. So far this is the best approach I have found for having a functional exterior towel rack which would stay in place and not drop the towels on to the ground. I invite suggestions on other approaches. In any case, I am pleased you found my towel rack design appealing. Regards, Don
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They are called grommets. Door-Mounted Holder Grommet: 5/16" Inside Diameter (ID) with a 7/16" Groove/Drilled Diameter. Body-Mounted Holder Grommet (Approximate): 6mm (.235") Inside Diameterwith an 8.7mm (.343") Groove Diameter and a 16mm (.631") Outside Diameter Ace Hardware or and hardware store has grommets but also you can likely find on Amazon.
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We got a tour of the new, bigger Casita last month in Sesquicentennial Park Campground (Columbia, SC). For what it is, it is really nice. Of course it's obviously not the quality of an Oliver. But it's also half the price. And it had a dry bath and a full-ish fridge with a dedicated freezer. It will make a lot of campers really happy.
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Battleborn Battery Safety Issue
Steph and Dud B replied to John Dorrer's topic in General Discussion
Will just released another BB video. He's got a BB BBQ for the 4th! - Yesterday
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Resurrecting this old thread from @dhaig with a question for those who used the Harbor Freight suction cup lifters (https://www.harborfreight.com/4-58-in-85-lb-dual-suction-cup-lifter-59689.html). I assembled this towel bar with the HF lifters. I tested it on the side of the Ollie for about 5 minutes, then removed it. The black suction cups left black rings on the gel-coat. The rings wiped off but I'm concerned. Has anyone else seen this? Thanks, Tony
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If they can afford it. This new larger Casita is almost exactly what we paid for our Oliver at the time in 2015. In today's dollars it wouldn't be worth (to me) spending $100K ± for any sort of camper or RV including the Oliver. Like so many here we also looked at the Airstreams back in the day, lovely interiors but thats about it and way too many issues with them. Oddly I have never understood why the Oliver and Airstream are compared to one another so often other than their somewhat similar exterior shape. Aside from that they have very little in common. The Oliver being more utilitarian and Airstream more of a luxury accommodation. We also looked at quite a few Casitas in those days, cheaper for sure but just couldn't quite gravitate to love them. Also looked at a number of Escapes which were sort of ok with only one floorpan that made much sense that being their 5th Wheel. Interiors looked a bit dated and same for the Bigfoots at the time. I still have a lot of respect for the Bigfoots but they don't look as sleek as an Oliver by any means. All that said regardless of cost I wouldn't be interested in a larger Oliver. Might be nice once you arrive but lugging the thing around would not be appealing let alone getting into some of the smaller tight spaces one can do with the current Oliver. Heck I have a hard enough time getting ours into the driveway as it is.
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On our radar and happens to hit at the tail end of our first, months-long trip south, for winter. Hoping timing will work out and it allows us to make our first Oliver rally!
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I agree with Lance on this. We drove over to Rice, TX to look at Casita’s when we were in the process of buying. We also looked at Airstreams at several dealers in the area. We weren’t comfortable with the Casita interior even though is was more affordable. At the time, a 23’ or 25’ Airstream was more than we wanted to spend and we were put off by many of the owner reviews on the Airforums. I think this new Casita will sell well and will take some sales from Oliver, but most discerning buyers will recognize the differences and stay with Oliver.
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2027 Texas Oliver Owners Rally
Mike and Carol replied to Donna and Scott's topic in Events & Rallies
It’s on our calendar. We’ve stayed at Lake Livingston State Park and like it. Looking forward to seeing a bunch of Olivers there! Mike -
LANE joined the community
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Donna and Scott started following 2027 Texas Oliver Owners Rally
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Oliver Owners, Due to Oliver Travel Trailers changing their date to October this year, it was decided that our next rally will be in the spring. The Texas Oliver Rally for Oliver Owners will be held at Lake Livingston State Park (not to far from Houston), checking in April 5 and checking out April 8. We are planning a meet and greet the evening of the 5th, and hope to have a BBQ dinner and potluck lunch during the rally. Starting December 5 you may book your site through Texas Park and Wildlife Department 1-512-389-8900. The cost to attend this event is up to you. You pay for your site, if you plan to attend the BBQ you will cover your plate(s) if we don't get a sponsor (last year Oliver Travel Trailers sponsor it and CGI gave us all TShirts with our own rally logo) and if we are able to reserve the meeting hall you will pay your share (based on how many sites are booked). So you have and idea, the hall will cost a total of around $300.00, BBQ around $26/plate (if we don't have a sponsor), etc. in 2024 and the 2025 we had over 45 Oliver Trailers parked on site and a total of 90 participants visiting new and old friends. We hope to have door prizes so if you want to donate one bring it with you and let me know. I have an event set up under the Ollie Rolling Rally Facebook group which will have more information as we get closer to the date. Hope to see you there and wishing you all safe travels Donna and Scott Gerould
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I hear you on that @taylor.coyote we used to do the same backpack, then car camp in tents and so forth and so on. Those days are over for the both of us, but still love the outdoor adventures. Yes this area has become hideously expensive, land of the "starter castles" and everything else that comes with it. Still a wonderful place to live, great trails almost right out our door. Just did a 13 mile MTB ride this morning without having to load bike into truck. Class A, no way, even if I could afford one.
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**UPDATE** Save the Date: 2026 Oliver Rally at Lake Guntersville!
jd1923 replied to Jason Essary's topic in Events & Rallies
Don't think we'll ever get OTT off that great lake in northern Alabama, but your point is well taken! And btw, a fiberglass rally is not an Oliver Rally. This we've learned from Quartzsite, 100 Casitas and just a couple Olivers. I've been thinking about attending the Oliver Rally this year since this is the first time I'm off work and late October in Alabama should be better than RAIN in the springtime! Not sure why I'm thinking about it. Love to meet more Oliver owners (but I couldn't attend all those company and vendor presentations)! I generated this map. For us it would be 1700 miles one-way mostly on I-40! We don't like interstates. I'd have to tow there in 4 long days and we'd only have another two weeks to return home, a little more slowly. At least the price of diesel is coming back down! 😎 And especially for you @taylor.coyote, your road to the meet would be 1,000 miles longer than ours, OMG! We attended the first Oliver Texas Rally October 2024. We used to live in Georgetown TX and I know many great AZ to TX routes that do not include interstate travel! It was a great time at Inks Lake with about 45 Olivers attending. Donna skipped 2026 because out of the blue OTT switch the 2026 National Rally from April to October. The 3rd Texas Rally will be next spring at Lake Livingston SP north of Houston. -
I replaced the original Gas-Flo regulator by Fairview Fittings and Mfg. Ltd. with a Marshall Excelsior 2-stage automatic changeover regulator model MEGR-253 in September of 2020 and have not had any problems with it. I replaced the original because it didn’t do what it was supposed to do one time and I didn’t want to give it a second chance. Marshall Excelsior MEGR 253 regulator with weather guard removed I used the mounting bracket off of the original regulator but you’ll have to order the weather guard (MEGR 862) as an extra item. It probably isn’t necessary because our regulators are covered but I put it on my regulator anyway. In May of 2026 I replaced the original pigtails with new MB Sturgis inverted flare 20” pigtails (Mfg # 100575-20) ... …and added 90 degree fittings on the inlet ports of the regulator. This removed the “S” in the pigtails. The hoses don’t actually stick out as much as the photo shows. They don’t reach the inside of the propane tank cover. I can’t find a “before” picture but this is the “after” picture. I ordered the brass 90 degree fittings (1/4 inch female 45 degree inverted flare x 1/4 inch male pipe thread) from McMaster Carr (item 6432T127). I ordered a couple extra to carry as spares. You’ll need to use pipe dope (sealant) on the pipe threads. Don’t use pipe dope or tape on flare fittings. Also, use the correct size open end wrenches on brass fittings. Adjustable wrenches (Cresent style), adjustable pliers (Channel Lock style), and pipe wrenches may slip and leave the wrench flats rounded or marred. Turn the tanks on and use soapy water in a spray bottle to check for leaks. Be sure to flip the changeover lever to both sides when checking for leaks. Also check the 3/8 inch female pipe thread outlet on the bottom of the regulator where the supply line goes to the trailer. Bill
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So far my local RV shop (not Oliver sanctioned) has been able to take care of needs beyond my skill sets. I thought their fee of $165 per hour was painful but $300, OUCH...that's stops my heart. Apparently my diesel mechanic is a bargain at $200 per hr. Salt Lake is central to the greater west and within 1,000 miles from everywhere on the pacific coast. I could live with this for specail repairs. When young, we were back packing and mocked the idea of dragging a trailer around. As we aged, we transition to tent camping and now doing the trailer thing. Yep, life was simple when we were kids with little means but sleeping on the river bar is no longer a good option for my old bones. God forbid if we were to ever end up with a Class A.
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Years ago, OTT installed the Marshall Excelsior MEGR-253 regulator which was highly reliable. Later they went with a Fairview product which is not as good. I had installed a Fairview to replace our MEGR-253 by suggestion on another post here. The new Fairview regulator failed immediately. Then I installed a new MEGR-253H (high capacity) which has worked flawlessly (the MEGR-253 is good too). If you have a Fairview regulator, replace it with one of these: MEGR-253 Series I enjoy having apps to level our trailer, to read Ah consumption, Ruuvi sensors for temps and humidity, and about everything else. We use Mopeka to read tank level. I purchased this kit a couple years ago. We always know when a tank is near empty. https://www.amazon.com/Mopeka-Pro-Check-Universal-Bundle/dp/B0CNKX9DRC/
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I don’t think so. Rat fur, steel frame, 6,000# GVWR torsion bar suspension, plywood cabinet doors and a interior which makes me think I am in the cuddy of a cheap 70’s fiberglass motorboat would keep me from buying it. Btw, I disagree that Oliver doesn’t compete with Airstream as that was one of my other choices and I would have gone that route were it not for their lack of insulation, thin aluminum skins, popping rivets and problems outlined by current owners. Airstream interiors are sexy but only until they begin to come apart. Also, they are not that much lighter than a E2. According to Casita, a 24’ with zero options has a dry weight of 4,250#, 4,600 with all options.
