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I completed our new Nova Kool R5810 AC/DC refrigerator installation before our trip to the 2025 OTTO's Rally and the 3 week shakedown was everything we hoped for! I want to thank all of the early adopters, Try2Relax, MountainOliver, Geronimo John, Ty J and rideadeuce, who preceded my installation and shared there experiences. I have attached a few pictures that are similar to those that have already been posted. I would also like to shout out to David & Kristine Hess, Cooper Jenkins and the rest of the folks at Sea Biscuit Metal Designs for their help and creation of the upper and lower vents for my refrigerator installation. If you need something custom made from metal, they are my goto team! Mossey

Yesterday morning we left Hull #634 XPLOR, with Collin and Gavin owners of CGi who gave it the CGI 3 step Ceramic coating process. We really like that they kept our Oliver overnight which allowed the ceramic coating to cure for at least 4 hours inside their shop. All we could say this morning when they opened their shop door was WOW! WOW! WOW! 🤩 Our Oliver looked better than the day we took delivery June 16th of 2020. Their work is excellent and the attention to detail is truly amazing. With over 130 Oliver Travel Trailers under their belt they truly are masters at their craft. The CGI team knows exactly how to take care of ALL things Oliver gelcoat. We also had our windows and wheels ceramic coated along with everything white on our Oliver. This was an excellent seamless experience and a valuable investment in our Oliver. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Patriot 🇺🇸 One of several of their YouTube videos-

This is a duplicate of a post I made on the Facebook Oliver owner’s page. I’m sharing here for those not on Facebook that may be interested in a dehumidifier option for their Oliver. We were experiencing rainy and cool weather at the rally and conditions in the Olivers were getting steamy. Facebook post: Temperature and humidity outside at Lake Guntersville state park are 62deg and 94% humidity this morning. Inside OllieHaus it’s a perfect 73 deg and thanks to our counter top dehumidifier, it’s a very comfortable 46% humidity with all windows closed. No heat or AC needed. Loving life in our Oliver!! Edit: Here’s a link on Amazon for the dehumidifier if interested: Dehumidifier

I really appreciate the duplicate post in that I'm one of those that does not "do" Facebook. Bill

MaxBurner and I were looking for a way to gain some storage in our OE2’s. Both of us were not making effective use of the space at the front end of our wardrobe. We looked at Chiwald’s expansive closet shelving post, but needed to simplify and modify for our primary use of hanging cloths. So, the idea morphed to two shelves as pictured below. For scaling the two toilet paper rolls are “Max Size” rolls. The time-consuming part is making the two templates for the shelf shapes. The shapes of the shelf curves are not the same. After more than a few hours in the closet, we had the templates needed. We used synthetic wood 1” X 2” to support the shelves along the front surface. We chose this material as it easily can be bent and secured with a lot of short screws and MaxBond carpenters glue to the hull curve. It is also the right color (white). The shelves were cut from white laminated wall shelving from Home Depot. The front edge is 1/16” thick aluminum flat stock. For “G” loading purposes, we installed stiff legs on the left side as shown. All fasteners are Stainless Steel. When completed, the shelves are amazingly strong. In GJ’s “Ollie”, I mounted a 13’ telescoping ladder with an EPDM Rubber Tie Down Strap to secure the ladder top. To keep the ladder feet flush to the wall, I cut out a piece of lumber and attached it to the floor. The ladder leg sits into a hole in this “foot plate. The folded towel on top prevents noise and damage to the wardrobe wall. For Art’s “Casablanca” they have their “Pleasure Plank” (AKA Snuggle Shelf) mounted in a similar manner. GJ & MaxBurner

The Legacy II is a two-person rig which is realistically limited to one child sized visitor. There is good and bad news there. Bad news is that you really cannot realistically sleep more than 2 adults comfortably. Good news is that you really cannot realistically be expected to sleep more than two adults comfortably.

In the past, several people have gotten camping spots for the next years rally. At this time I don't know the exact dates yet and wanted to advise not to secure any spots for next year until I can finalize the dates. I will be speaking with the campground and shoring up the dates and will let everyone know as soon as they are set in stone.

There was an earlier question about removing the old fridge. I had quite a bit of trouble with the original fridge (as many on the forums can testify to) so was extremely happy to get rid of it but still was very careful about it’s removal. 🤪

Carl, IMO, you're spot-on, brother! Modifications, upgrades, and otherwise enhancements outlined in various levels of detail in this forum are for information purposes and general "better" understanding of what the OTT can do during our collective travels. That said, our "collective travels" are widely different across the spectrum of owners. Everyone has their own "style" of camping with their Ollie - some fancy established RV parks with full connections for the majority of their travels, others prefer full-on off-grid boondocking for most of their trips. The rest of the owners likely fall in between these extremes. So, depending on what "style" of camping you prefer, would dictate which mods suit your purpose of camping. But that's what's so phenomenal about this forum, there's such a wide spectrum of experience and expertise here, one can choose the mods fitting their camping style the best. The discussion about DC2DC chargers are such an example. It's not a "one size fits all" issue, if you catch my drift....

While on our way west for three months we’re volunteering at Stratford Ecological farm outside of Columbus Ohio. This is our campsite for the next week.

Yesterday I left home, driving North out of Southwest Florida (aka The Swamp) and to my great surprise, only 90 minutes out, I spied an Oliver heading South on Rte 17 into Nocatee! Thanks for the smiles! A decent day’s drive, in spite of the weather and traffic. Only one pit stop. Northwest Georgia today, and the OTT Mothership tomorrow. I love my Oliver.

Continuing our drive from south Texas to Kentucky we stopped just outside of Texarkana for the night. There are several COE campgrounds 15 minutes to the south and west of Texarkana on the Texas side. We’ve stayed at a couple but usually come back to Clear Springs COE campground. There are a bunch of FHU sites but the ones we like by the lake are just W/E. This is our site for the night, a little rainy but nice.

We found a great area up in the White Mountains of Arizona with the help of a couple retired cops. They were out turkey hunting and happened by us when we were deep in the woods and came to a crossroads. In both directions the signs read, "Not Suitable for RVs or Trailers." They said the road to the right was a bit rocky and the warnings are for when it rains or snows. We liked that the signs would keep most RVers away. Then they said, "Follow us and we'll take you to our marked campsite." Check the Campendium Map and compare our blue dot to the known campsites! Miles and hours of dirt between and dozens of campsites along the way. We'll keep our high country spot a secret for now and should be meeting some Oliver friends up there in July when the weather is perfect. However, when we left on Monday it was snowing and the daytime high was to be 42F. The campsite was at 8,920 ft and on the drive home we climbed a bit more and I snapped this compass shot at exactly 9,400 on AZ Hwy 273. It's amazing you can drive down a highway at this elevation in Arizona (common in CO of course) and see mountains above and lush meadows everywhere with streams and lakes.

I’m not a Facebook user either, so thanks for this.

Unfortunately we will not be showing our trailer today. Just too much rain and mud. So the next best thing is a video tour. We will miss seeing all of you. Enjoy. IMG_2245.mov

Problem Solved: Bad Crimps on New 3 way crimp connectors I had bought new brake and hubs for the trailer and had the installation done at the same place doing our Truma Recall. I looked more closely and used a check light to trace power to the new 3way crimp connectors (for the new brake assemblies.) They didn't look fully seated on the fronts the same as the rear. Squeezed them with a pair of channel locks and voila, now the front brakes on both sides are engaging. Since I was under the trailer I went around and manually adjusted all 4 brakes to the same resistance. Next I'll be burnishing in the brakes as we begin our next trip. Craig - Hull 505 - Galway Girl

First true boondocking adventure for us this weekend for our shakedown. No reservations and just showing up to see what we could find. We lucked out to find only us with a spot next to the river in a bird sanctuary. Thank you Army COE! To be honest, I never thought a camping adventure like this would ever happen!

Here’s my adaptation in mounting the two Sirocco ll fans back in 2020 shortly after our OLEll purchase. By chance, my setup has worked really well, thus far! Rather than a permanent mount and hardwiring, I used Velcro for attachment and installed ports in the fan base for a detachable power cable. The fans and cables are stowed in the attic when not in use and can be deployed, as needed. The two primary locations are above each bed and an alternate in the galley to direct air flow toward the dinette. I like that the fans are multi-directional both forward and downward facing. The white Velcro is not very noticeable at the three attachment points and excess cable is simply wrapped around the base for a clean appearance.

Some may recall my plans to add an Anderson Powerpole 12V DC outlet to the front of Curiosity. My plan was to drill through the front of the propane housing, low, behind the front basket. I started that project today. The plan was to tie into the front jack wiring to supply power. But then I thought it might be easier to run the positive wire down from the jack switch terminal, avoiding cutting into the jack’s feed wire. When I pulled off the jack cover, I discovered the is a lot of extra room inside the cover. So, instead of drilling through fiberglass, I drilled through an inexpensive replaceable part. Easy peasey! All that’s left is the wiring (along with wiring the two outlets I added under the flip-up table next to the door.) EDIT: Yes, I will add an inline fuse, and not rely on the jack’s 30A slo-blow fuse. 😉

I will be the first to admit that I lean toward the lazy side of the street! This is my method for storing the Gorilla Marine and RV hose. Mossey

Yes, it does. They can sit in brackets on the side of the trailer or you can drop them straight down to the ground. You can also stake them to the ground which I have done. With our sunshade attached the awning can withstand some pretty windy conditions. It’s not as easy to deploy as the electrics, but is not really a hassle either. Mike

They are like fire hoses, they don’t shrink up just flatten out. Very easy to handle and use. We’ve been using these type hoses for years. I don’t have much patience for traditional hoses, especially in cold weather.

Thanks, Rideadeuce, for the tip on the Bulldogs. Installed 4 of them today, along with new tires (originals going on 8 years old). Tomorrow, repack the bearings. (note decal facing outward!)

We enjoyed the beautiful drive up from Albuquerque, and had a great hike the next day to the edge of the park and then some into the Cibola NF. You can only see edges of the mountain range from the campground. Most of the campsites are difficult. We backed in first and found our entrance would be on the wrong side and steep downhill. Then I drove in head first, unhitched and lifted the tongue a foot high to get level. We didn’t want to drive the truck anyway. Tonight we’re at Hannagan Meadows south of Alpine AZ at 9130 ft. it’s cold up here, will be high if 42F by Monday! Stopped to visit with these bull elks on the way. Wow!

Each year Garmin provides a "year in review" which shows the kinds of activities, places, reasons for users asking for help, etc. for users of the Garmin InReach satellite rescue device. There a number of these types of devices on the market, but this report by Garmin highlights some of the reasons for using any of these. The Garmin report can be viewed HERE. Bill

Ollie in Albuquerque, we’ve been here a half dozen times, but first time I came for work and not stayed at the event hotel. Family with, good meals after work, staying 4 nights at Isleta Pueblo lakes and RV park. Amazing full hook-up sites designed for the Class-A gambling types entertained at the Indian Casino. We look like a little egg in the big RV park, though I’m happy to be in our home away from home, in our Oliver!

Landed at Rivers Edge CG in Cherokee County, Murphy, NC. Concrete pad, F/H and a nice place to overnight on our way to LGSP. It’s good to be back on the road and traveling again. Tomorrow onward to Lake Guntersville SP. See ya at the Rally! Nothing like the beauty of Western North Carolina! 🤩 Safe Travels!

I know this topic has been frustrating for many people, especially those who believe everyone should have followed a specific order. However, I also understand that many are waiting for updates and want reassurance that their concerns are being addressed. So here is my story. A few months ago, I filed my paperwork. Last week, I learned that Oliver had shipped my replacement parts to the dealer I selected, Bretz RV in Liberty Lake, WA. They provided me with a tracking code, so I called the dealer. They informed me that they could schedule my service for the day the parts were set to arrive, which was on Tuesday. I dropped off my trailer and spoke with the dealer. He mentioned that Oliver had just called him to verify the recall, parts delivery, and the work needed for my trailer. Three days later, on Thursday, I picked up the trailer. The service was delayed by a day due to confusion over whether the work was warranty-related or a recall. They initially thought it was warranty work and were waiting for an approval call from Oliver. Once they clarified that it was indeed a recall, they finished the job and got the trailer back to me. Ideally, none of this would have happened, or at least, the wait would not have been so long. However, once Oliver shipped the parts, my experience with Oliver and the dealer network I used was quite pleasant. I hope more of you out there start to get this notice and have a seamless repair experience.

My wife and I were lounging in our camper one night when a white Tesla backed into the lot next to us. A middle aged dude with a huge belly got out and started walking around talking to his phone which he kept pointed at himself. He mounted it on a tripod and removed this horrendous looking world war something tent out of his frunk. After 30 minutes of huffing, puffing, resting and more puffing, he got it set up. He then started cooking this amazing smelling food which he proceeded to eat in front of his phone talking animatedly between bites. I swear the dude looked like Alfred Hitchcock sporting a bright Hawaiian style shirt, some shorts stolen from Al Borland and knee high socks. I would have expected deck shoes or penny loafers but he preferred purple Crocs. His car made noises and flashed like a Christmas tree and other than the awesome food smells, he was completely annoying. I don't know why I'm telling this story. All this talk about EVs and camping I guess.

An interesting and entertaining opinionated thread. 😄

Hey Everyone, Just wanted to share some info on the Sirocco Fan install that I did recently to #145. We've had posts on this type of install before... John Davies I believe was the most robust with a metal backplate between the ceiling over the bunk and the fan base itself. This install is a bit simpler. I used a plastic sheet to act as an interior backing plate AND a drilling template. Lots of measuring and fretting were involved before actually drilling the holes. The result was better than expected. The mounting is rock solid! I used 6-32 x 2 inch machine screws with washers to mount the interior plate that the fan installs onto. The supplied backing tape is very sticky so make sure the plate is exactly where you want it before peeling the backing off that stuff. When you drill... there is an air gap above the ceiling so be prepared for that (I wasn't for the first hole) and make sure the drill is as perfectly straight as you can hold it. One thing worth mentioning is.... You will be forced to place the fan so that the stowed position is tilted FORWARD. If you try to mount it so there is enough room that the fan can fold toward the rear You will most likely have some plate mounting holes that hit the aluminum L bracket that holds the side wall of the attic. Again... lots of measuring and noodling about the placement. For power I just tapped into the cigarette lighter plug in the wall, very simple. The fan moves a lot of air even on low power. I believe it will be very nice for those hotter boondocking nights that require a LOT of fan power. I have purchased a second fan and will mount it to a small cutting board with a Cig lighter plug wired on so we can move it around as needed. I thought some folks might be in the same boat as I was in wanting to mount this fan above the bunk but worried that it might not be sturdy enough. Seems very solid. Will let you know if the next series of bumpy roads changes that. Happy Camping, Scotty

Our 2018 Dometic frig is a ditto to yours. We were having the same issues out west in the heat. I found that by parking the curb side to the north direction, and deploying the awning a few feet to also keep the sun off of it together helped. But the dual condenser fans in the top vent helped it a LOT. On the other hand, I'm in full agreement that John Davies had about these ammonia absorption. He was worried in his posts about the fire hazard. But to me the real hazard is the potential for it to let CO into our trailers. The refer cabinet was initially well sealed. But with each mile and years, we see that the foil tape seals are being degraded. Any crack in those seals could lead to a CO fatality. I earnestly suggest that all owners of the three way absorption refers ensure that their CO detector is fully serviceable. Also that even if it appears to be OK, that you replace it every fourth year. Not five or ten as some have suggested. If any full time Oliver owner of an older trailer is financially not able to do so, PM me and I'll send you a replacement for free. That's how serious I take the CO hazard in our older trailers. GJ

Very nice with the vents in the fridge basically matching those in the microwave. Like the additional insulation in the compartment too. Nice job! Bill

With my juvenile mindset, it was really difficult not to say something inappropriate here. But I refrained. 😁

A big thanks to @Ollie-Haus for passing along this RV water hose upgrade while at the rally. It’s hard to imagine not having to wrestle with our fresh water white Camco hoses any more when storing them in the milk crate in our Oliver basement. So based on Chris’s recommendation, I scooped up (3) of these Gorilla collapsible 25’ hoses while at Home Depot this morning. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Gorilla-1-2-in-x-25-ft-Marine-and-RV-Hose-GMAR0025/325990305 “Two is one and one is none”.🇺🇸🫡😊

On the way to Tennessee, I’m spending the night at R Shaefer Heard COE campground, in NW Georgia. It’s very nice here. Some sites have steep drives to access, and WiFi is spotty, but the lake front sites are great. My view from here.

Use some acetone, it won't hurt the gelcoat and I'll wager the stain will come right off. I use it all the time. Will also remove mildew stains from caulk.

On our way back from the rally we had to stop at one of our favorite pull offs on the Smoky Mountain Expressway. So glad this scenic highway is in our backyard. Loving all things in the Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge! Mountains as far as you can see.

The hose is soft and pliable even in cold temps. It rebounds to its original flat shape, self draining in the process. I roll mine up in a flat coil for storage. It’s specifically for potable water. When pressurized, if it gets a kink, just give the hose a flip and the kink pops out. We’re a year into this hose and won’t be going back to a “ regular” hose ever again. It comes with a very good warranty on top of all that. Home Depot is the source.

We just worked on completing the last 3 of our lower 48 states with a trip to the South East Central US. Stopped at some cool Harvest Hosts along the way and got a nice riverfront site at Maumelle Park in Little Rock. (Only one lower 48 left, our neighbor, RI.)

This post is just an FYI. On the way back home to TX from the rally, we looked for a convenient overnight stop along IH-20 and made an uninformed selection of Roosevelt State Park just east of Jackson MS. It turned out to be a lucky guess. It's just 5 minutes off the interstate and has some of the best campsite parking pads that we've run across anywhere. The premium sites are better than what most private RV parks have to offer; they're large, level and deep. Only one of the premium sites isn't on the waterfront, #37, which is the only pull-through. We picked it without seeing it or any of the other sites because we didn't want to unhitch for our quick overnight stop. It turned out that all of the premium sites are deep and level enough that we wouldn't have had to unhitch our trailer. Our luck was even better because through the 22nd this month the sites are half price. The park staff told us that they had been closed for renovations for about a year and recently reopened. The special pricing is to encourage people to rediscover the park. Regular daily prices are $47 weekdays & $57 weekends for premium, or $37 or $47 respectively for regular sites on weekdays or weekends. The regular sites are also nice, but they consist of smaller asphalt strips that aren't as large as the premium sites and may require you to unhitch to level the trailer. The state park prices are less than what many less desirable private RV parks charge and was especially a bargain at $23.50 for our one-night stay. We plan to go back before or after next year's rally, expecting to pay the regular daily price. In the picture you can see the size of the site. We didn't take a picture of a waterfront site because it was raining most of the time we were there, but all the premium sites have similar sized concrete pads, easily big enough for 4 LE2s (though only enough hookups for one). Steve

I found a good welder!

Another really good friend we will all miss at future rallies. It was great getting caught up with Rodney Lomax.

Right now there are numerous Ollie Owners hitting the road towards the 2025 Rally. Please be safe out there and have fun while at the Rally. For the first time, I will not be attending this year but hope to se everyone in 2026. Bill

A couple of Ollies spotted at a Cracker Barrel somewhere in NW Alabama last night -- they were both pointing to an eastbound destination.

A teaser…this evenings sunset at LGSP. Safe Travels everyone!

Last Call! Currently at 73 listings. I'll and/remove up until sometime Sunday evening, and then print a bunch of copies to bring with us. I'll post the final PDF at that time, too. Thanks again to everyone who has contributed! It sure makes it easier for owners new and old find people they've only conversed with online. 2025 Oliver Rally Attendees as of 4-26.pdf

In my opinion - if you are going to spend virtually any time in the out of doors and/or where cell phone service can't be guaranteed then (if you can afford it) having one of these satellite communication devices is not a luxury but a necessity. Most of these can be used for many functions in addition to their SOS feature. These include: messaging, real time tracking by friends and loved ones, trip planning, "bread crumb trails", weather, etc. I spend the better part of two months each year in relatively remote places fishing and hiking - usually alone. Certainly it is comforting to know that I can get help in the event of a medical emergency and I can let my wife know that all is OK. I must admit however that I never considered many of the uses that are noted in the report above. In addition, during the hurricane Helene back in October, 2024 we were without telephone and internet for about 5 days (many others had it much worse) and the only communication that we had with the outside world was via our satellite communication device. We also (now) always carry it with us when going on trips in the event we have a vehicle or other issue. Bill p.s. No, I do not own stock in Garmin nor any other of these companies.😁

I have the FITCAMX, it’s nicely integrated into my Silverado’s rear view mirror housing, and plug and play installation with the power wire hidden and connected to the rear view mirror wiring, and hidden inside the mirror housing.

Dan, it's good you noticed this before it got worse. Check out my picture. The two carriage bolts, shiny round heads faced up, go straight down through the frame. Get under your Oliver just behind the wheel well and tighten the two large nuts. If there is a split-ring washer that has lost its spring, replace it. If not use some blue Locktite (not red). Then check the other side as well. Edit: If you find the main jack mounting bolts are tight which is highly possible, then the head of the jack has slipped up off the post. In this case, remove the head (2-3 Allen screws), check the post for vertical markings from it slipping to be certain of cause. Then remount head. Age of your hull, having it out would be a good time to do thorough maintenance. I'm the only one that has worked the complete service and if you will do so, let me know and I will supply the link. In the meantime, do not use your stabilizer jacks.