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Andersen has a camper leveler that works great! The link below is to a video.

Itasca State park, the beginning of the Mississippi River, is beautiful, lots of hiking very nice showers and bathrooms.

In South Dakota, there is a tourist trap (sort of interesting) named Wall Drug. It is along I-90. Might be worth a visit if you have never been there, but I am using it as a location marker. A few miles east of Wall is Highway 240. Maybe six miles off I-90 on 240 is an entrance to the Badlands NP. Just before you get to the park..maybe a half mile..is a dirt/rock road into public lands (Bureau of Land Management). If you get to the park entrance, turn around and take the first right into the BLM land. A short drive along that road brings you to the actual "wall" that the town and tourist trap are named after. There is plenty of easy camping along the top of the wall, either North or South from the road that brought you in. This is boondocking, no nothing except an incredible view and great cost (free).

Hi all.....I'm sorry that some owners have had issues with their Olivers, I'm sure it's been heartbreaking but I do believe that the Oliver team will take care them, learning from their issues and helping all of us. We will be picking our Ollie up the 31st of the month. I know I've build up some high expectations after lurking these board for so long but I'm also a realist & aware that nothing is perfect. Even the most expensive motorhomes have problems! It's how those problems are addressed by the manufacturer that makes the difference. From what I have heard here and at the rally, the Oliver company truly cares about their owners and goes out of their way to take care of problems, regardless of whether they are on warranty or off. To me, that says it all. They may be having some growing pains but they'll get it all worked out, I'll bet on that! Clair & I started started out, many years ago, with a small pop up trailer. I really loved it and we had so much fun! Clair broke 3 fishing poles that he'd tucked inside when he pulled the beds out during a rain storm one night. He was not a happy camper. We moved on from that unit to a small 5th wheeler that we pulled with an under powered & very old Dodge truck. That was interesting & quite funny at times, to say the least. I enjoyed the 5th wheeler but Clair hated the siding on it. It was far to difficult to keep clean and drove him crazy with black streaks....so we moved on to a small Class C. That one was a big mistake, we both hated it! So, that was traded for a larger Class C that we lovingly named "Big Bertha". For some reason, it didn't suit us for very long but it was nice when we were showing our dogs. From there we moved on to a Titanium 5th wheeler that turned out to be a wonderful unit but we had to let it go with the economic downfall. I kept telling my husband that I wanted an Oliver when we retired because I wanted something small, easy to travel with, and easy to clean but we had a few years to wait for that. A couple years ago we decided it was time to start camping again. We wanted something small so we ended up with our 26 ft. Rockwood. It's OK but doesn't meet up to the standards of any of our others and it's got constant nagging little issues. Just little things but it's always something. On our last trip a weld broke on one of the supports holding up the gray water tank. We had cars & trucks flagging us down on that one...sparks flying everywhere. I'm very happy that we chose to go with the Oliver Elite II. I know that we will be happy even if we do have a few minor issues here and there. We want this one to be our forever trailer. There are so many things to love about the Oliver! I know it's not for everybody but it's definitely for us. We can get the same experience we had when we were in our pop up living in a classy, easy to clean, modern Ollie. I am getting so excited, can't you tell!? I have all of the bedding made and I've been pulling together the basics for inside, trying to keep it as simple possible. Clair has everything prepped for outside. Just a few more days guys and we will be part of the Oliver family! Smiles....Kathy

We've had our Oliver (Roamy) for a month and last week we took our second trip to the Sarasota, Florida to enjoy the beaches. We camped at Oscar Scherer State Park, which was quiet and clean. Campsite all setup, I put out the awning to keep the sun off our picnic table for our return meal. We headed to the beach and as is the case, late afternoon thunderstorms are the norm in Florida. As a storm came in, we packed up and head back to our site, but the storm beat us there. A good inch of rain fell in about 15 minutes and by the time we returned the storm had moved pass our site. However our awning did not make it. The left leg broke off at the bracket on the trailer and it then bent into an L-shape. Yes, I can still hear Rich Carroll telling me to angle the awning for water runoff! So a quick search of the Internet for Fiamma and find that they are in Orlando, FL. Then this all turns very sad and tragic. Fiamma is close indefinitely do to a workplace shooting that took 5 people's lives. Fixing my awning seems unimportant, our thoughts and prayers to everyone involved.

Many of our camping sites are less than ideal and we spend a lot of time trying to level side to side. It can be frustrating. We are using leveling blocks now but making the ramp to drive up requires me to move the blocks between the tires as my husband moves up the ramp. Then when we lower the stabalizing jack it often hits the leveling block for the tire ???? There must be better ways, how do you do it?

I hope it works well, I know Blutooth has improved in the last couple of years, but I still have really bad memories of past debacles. This system relies on both a BT connection to a booster, in back, and also a BT connection in front, in your TV. I did not want to deal with possible double BT connectivity and "forgetting" issues. Hopefully all that is history and the system is reliable, but that is the reason I went with a stand alone display. Plus I wanted to be able to use my phone for other stuff while visually monitoring the numbers.... not just relying on the phone app to wake up and send an alert. John Davies Spokane WA

I bought the TireTraker TT500 four tire system directly from the maker, due to very good reviews and their lifetime warranty. Originally I wanted to stay clear of serviceable batteries, but I began to see their value. You just install new button cells and orings once a year. They are cheap. You should try to not blast the sensors directly with a pressure washer. I did not need to install their signal booster, tho I bought it just in case. It was $20 extra. The system worked fine with my long Ram 3500 Quad Cab short bed with fiberglass cap, as well as my Land Cruiser. I really really really like seeing both pressures and temperatures, and it is easy to change settings and alarm thresholds. I did order one extra sensor, plus a service kit that includes O rings and batteries. This way if one fails on a trip I can replace it with no down time. The only thing I do not care for is the aluminum trim around the display. I found the reflection in my windshield to be very annoying, so I masked off the front and back and painted the top of the trim flat black. Problem solved. The holder itself is stout and dandy, and I use it sometimes to hold my phone. You can just see the TT display in this pic, in the bottom corner of the windshield. Also I removed the sensor covers and engraved numbers on top so that I could ID the units when removed and in storage, and to help me remember where to put them when I rotate the tires. https://tiretraker.com So far so good, I do recommend these and would buy again. I do suggest that you balance all wheels BEFORE installing them. The weight of the sensor is tiny, but you will be swapping them from wheel to wheel, when you rotate, and it is better if the tires are balanced independently of the sensor installation. The tires do not come balanced at delivery ;( John Davies Spokane WA

Well since you will be heading into Wisconsin I would like to add just a couple more possibilities in Chippewa Falls do the Leinenkugels Brewery tour has a great time not sure if you partake and go up into Door County just above Greeen Bay beautiful area and do a few days in Milwaukee again brewery tours etc we stayed at the Fair Grounds right in the middle and was good for being in the middle of a city. Well have fun planning and enjoy the people were great in these areas. Safe travels. Thanks Gary

Dave, just sent you a PM with his contact info. Mike

We got the TST TPMS and have used it now for about 20K miles. I like knowing the pressure and temperature of my tires while traveling, especially in the summer heat. Today, while driving on some back highways in west Texas with temperatures approaching 100, I was monitoring my tires closely. Mike

It won't get any better than this. As a side note, read up on the town of Wall SD and Wall Drug. I was there MANY years ago. It really is a working pharmacy (or, at least, it was then.) History of this area is pretty interesting

John Davies: First, thank you for the rework of the center shaft installation method and post. The clarity of your explanation and production values of your photographs are outstanding and give the method what it deserves. It will certainly help any other owners giving this a try. Bravo Zulu. Responding to some of the comments you garnered, I did run my post on the center shaft installation in draft by Mr. Ryan Andersen to see if I had anything wrong or of concern to Andersen Mfg. He was complimentary with respect to the installation and offered only one thing in clarification. He noted that at the time they recommended (in the video I linked and quoted) compressing the bushing 1/4", they were using a bushing that was 3" long. The standard bushing is now only 2" long, so that guidance is no longer valid. I deleted reference to 1/4" compression from my final post. I believe you are correct that the anti-sway function of the Andersen hitch comes from the brake lining cone under the hitch ball. The friction it creates bleeds out sway energy and turns it into heat and in some cases some awful noise. It is not a function of the chain geometry. The belief that a "wide stance" for the chain brackets is necessary for the anti-sway function to work is something of an urban myth. As long as the triangle plate is turning along with the trailer frame, full anti-sway benefit is being achieved. Indeed, if one gets deep into the Andersen installation manual, center shaft mounting is an option they list. The Andersen installation manual encourages mounting the chain brackets so that the pull of the chains is as closely aligned with the axis of the tensioning bolts as is possible. Mounting on the center box shaft allows this to be achieved and at the same time aligning the chain tension forces with the shaft. No "sideways" component tugging on a frame element. My initial motivation in getting the Andersen hitch was to reduce the likelihood of getting into a sway situation. With a little bit of experience and a greater understanding of the Oliver reputation for good manners while being towed, I have come to believe the greater benefit is the weight distribution function. Certainly for us. Our GMC Yukon is softly sprung and the Ollie tongue weight drops the back end a bit more than 3". The Ollie tows, but the feel in the back end doesn't inspire confidence. Tensioning the chains to shift 150 lbs of tongue weight onto the front wheels gets about 300 lbs off of the hitch. (About 150 lbs simultaneously goes onto the trailer wheels.) Getting that weight off the hitch lets the rear suspension function within its design parameters without any wallow. In addition the additional weight on the front wheels helps keep them "planted" rather than unweighting when going over bumps, so there is no diminution of steering control. At least that is the theory, and in our case, I think it holds. The critical factor is getting the chains adequately tensioned, and I hope to have more on that later. I unhitch like I think everybody else does, raising the tongue with the jack to unload the chains. The center shaft mounting method doesn't change this handy method. Finally, as I said in my first post, I know the factory installation of the Andersen hitch is giving good service to a lot of Ollie owners, and this discussion isn't intended to suggest otherwise. It is intended to explore an alternative that will appeal to some. Best regards, John Shkor Sailors Ashore

Yes to the latter, the location on the big main frame tube allows for a stronger and more direct anchor point. Sailorashore talks about this at length, he sounds as if he knows his stuff. I hope he will chime in here. The main tube is the same height as the others but 50% wider. It is very stout and one piece (no welds). Part of the problem with an _owner_ installed hitch is that access to the outer A arms of the frame sucks, big time, pardon my language. The fiberglass doghouse is in the way. You can remove it entirely, a huge job that involves going inside under the vanity, with possibly a second person in there, helping. You have to remove the generator tray, if you have one, cut the wire to the jack, remove the jack, disconnect all the switch wires for the jack, disconnect any hose or wire support clamps, pull the bottles, and remove the rear doghouse mount. Then reassemble everything later. That is a lot of _unnecessary_ work. An alternative is to get out your cutoff wheel and grinder and cut away sections of the fiberglass to expose the frame. Without damaging either part. No thank you.... Even if you cut access sections, you will still need to remove the jack so you can lift up the cover a few inches in front, for a little working room, to install the upper bolts. If you didn't trim the cover, then your bolt heads and grub screws are not accessible for later servicing. Not good. Speaking of grub screws, they are a very poor solution, especially with a soft aluminum frame. A solid anchor block, welded to the frame in front of the chain anchors would be best. I have not connected with Anderson, I know what they will say. They have lawyers to protect them from liability due to significant alterations of their product. The V shape is convenient but not needed in my (non-engineer) opinion. The sway control is done by the brake lining at the ball, not by the geometry of the chains. While there may be some extra sway dampening effect from a wide angle, as the bushings flex, I can't see it being significant. The main job for the poly bushings is jounce control and weight distrubution. The do that at any angle. The big plus for mounting on the outside of the frame is convenience for the operator. You do have to reach under, or lie down, to get to the nuts on the center frame. That may be a big factor for folks with poor mobility. With the supplied brackets mounted on the center member, alignment is nearly perfect and all the stresses go straight forward, no twisting. I can't say how much harder it is to hook up, since I have never used an Anderson hitch. It is harder to install the chains into the rear brackets, certainly. If you routinely take them off for theft protection, then that would be a bother. If you leave them connected all the time, less so. It isn't hard or in the least uncomfortable getting to them if you lie on a scrap of cardboard.... The chains are connected together near the jack, there is minimal load on the link since the angle is only a few degrees at most. It does not affect the ability of the two chains to move independently. The amount of motion is pretty small. I will know more after putting some miles on this setup. For now iit seems to be great, withminimal drawbacks. As mentioned before, if the factory embraces this variation, they could weld precisely positioned aluminum bars (slip braces) to the main tube during manufacture, so an owner could install the Anderson setup later with very minimal hassles. Anderson offers chain extensions, if Oliver used those to mock up the location, then the pre-made extensions would bolt right up, no grinding links! They are too short if you must also bolt up a steel brace, as I did. Plus at $40 a pair, they are darned expensive, compared to buying bulk chain at the local bolt store.... https://andersenhitches.com/Products/3366--wd-chain-extensions-with-threaded-links.aspx John Davies Spokane WA

Couldn't your jack blocks be laid sideways? We found stall (for horses) mats on sale at Tractor Supply by the foot. Not very thick, but easy to store, non skid, and easy to stack to get the height you might need. Also no chance of them damaging anything as you drive on and off. Just cut to length and width of you planks...

Kathy, I enjoyed your post and agree that you will be a happy camper.!!! Beverly and I picked up our Elite II about a week ago, and the pulling experience back to New Mexico was wonderful. It tows like a dream. We prioritized the punch list and got the major items addressed before we left for our trip home. We're planning a trip back east in a few weeks and plan to stop in Hohenwald to get a few other minor problems resolved. These guys are proud of their product and will see to it that it's as good as possible. Someone asked today how many RV's we've had since we started 40 years ago. I believe this is number 12. And like you, we think this will be our forever rig. I consider owning a RV to be comparable to owning a boat or airplane - there's always going to be some minor issues. But if it's safe, let's enjoy the trip. Brad - Santa Fe, NM

Betty and I are boondocking at the primitive campground, big fir campground, out on Housley point in Lake Ouachita, Arkansas. Located about 48 miles west of Hot Springs Arkansas, lake Ouachita is about 34 miles long with over 700 miles of shoreline and over one hundred islands. We will be here boondocking and jug fishing using all natural bait, ect.. Our plan is to spend the month enjoying the sounds of Loons across the lake as we sit by the campfire, and as many fish fry's as we can stand. So if it sounds like something you might be interested in, come on by we would enjoy the visit ! Here is a map that shows where we are. Point A is Mount Ida, Arkansas located west of Hot Springs Arkansas on US Hwy. 270. Point B is where we are. Also our phone number should you need more or just want to chat about it. 479.243.5450 harm & bett

I would check the wire feed area, in the front under the propane tanks and then bait between the hulls under the front dinette seat

The unit in our hull #12 ran on either propane or electric, as did all the early Olivers I've seen. I don't know if you have the same water heater we had Brandi, but it's likely that you do, but some had Atwood, some suburban, I think. There's a switch on the outside of the unit to select gas or electric. This was accessed from the outside curbside door. In our old unit, there was also a switch on the face of the curbside dinette, along with a little red light that lit up when the unit first turned on, but did not remain illuminated. It was something I always checked, as I was concerned about accidentally turning on the heater by bumping it, which did happen to us a few times. There should be a bypass valve under the curbside dinette, so you can make sure the water supply is feeding into the heater. If the handle is turned in line with the pipe feeding the heater, it's open. Just a thought, before you fill the heater, you might want to check the sacrificial anode and make sure there's still some life in it. BTW,you are not pestering when you ask questions. We will all be happy to help when we can. I'm just working from memory, as we replaced our original water heater with an instantaneous unit. And, you're right in assuming that each of the earliest trailers were a little different as Oliver did some tweeks to the design and options. If you can't find manuals online with Google model/make, pm me . I can either scan and send, or send a link. We all love your little red trailer. Hope you can enjoy (all) of it too. Sherry

Pull in to a campsite. Ask anybody there and I bet they would be happy to show you about the water heater. It is the same as every other water heater on the market. If you have one you might as well use it. Basically fill the heater with water before turning it on. If it does not fill probably there are bypass valves that prevent antifreeze from away entering the tank during winterizing. Those valves are inside the camper. Open the outside cover, locate the temp/pressure relief valve ( usually near the top middle) pull up on the little silver handle until water comes out Turn on the heater. Run the faucet to get out the bubbles. In about 6 minutes you should have hot water. Now for the black handle in the bath: Push it in and it shuts the valve (we assume yours is the same as ours). That prevents the water from the tank 'sloshing' up into the shower pan as you go down a rough road (or sudden stop). It does happen. Last thing we remember to do. Don't forget to open once stopped or your sinks won't drain. (I think ours vents better with it open too). Another part of the process that we do is make sure there is only just a very little water in the toilet bowl. You don't want that splashing around either. We do put a little water in each tank before a trip, that way going down the road the splashing water helps clean the tanks.

Eating good in the neighborhood ! Camp food stamp 2017. Turnip greens, purple hull peas, mashed potatoes and Dutch oven meatloaf. All cooked over a open campfire.

After picking ours up, we went south and poked around for a month or so. We went up some rough ' goat paths' , camped on mountain tops, traveled a lot of dirt rough roads, and even traveled rougher paved highways. For lack of initial load up room we left our collapsible ladder home. And then headed home to Maine. Turns out we never needed it. Checked our knobs at home and they are still tight. We could always back up the tow vehicle and use that for a ladder I guess if we ever needed it. We have left the ladder home since and have never regretted it. Have a safe trip home to Ma. and may the roughest part of your trip be paying the tolls for the extra two axles... P.S. I have found that if you really need a ladder, and fellow campers happen to have one, they are more than happy to lend it. They also will give you a helping hand. You can meet some wonderful people on the road and share some interesting stories around a campfire or picnic table. All they need is a friendly smile and a handshake...

I'm very happy with the quality of my Ollie Elite 2. It's not a perfect thing and I don't expect it to be, but it is excellent and it is definitely a keeper. While being able to pinpoint a few things that are not perfect I can give a long list of things that are way beyond what I have ever seen or what I expected. I'm thrilled with it. As far as practical use goes, the Ollie design is far more useful than a Airstream, in my estimation. That is not a quality issue, just a "design for actual use" issue. Things like food storage, battery location and capacity, ground clearance under the tanks and plumbing, the ability to open the tow vehicle tailgate while connected, etc, are all better with an Oliver. The only Airstream with a narrow body is the Bambi, but it only has a single axle. The tandem axle Elite 2 tows extremely well. It's stable and easy to keep in a lane. Then look at the aluminum body vs fiberglass. I've seen a number of pictures of Airstreams lately, and I passed one on the road, with hail damage. They looked like the surface of a golf ball! Absolutely not repairable without new body panels. Even the slightest rub against a tree branch will press in a stripe that will be permanent. If you want to go camping in remote areas, are going to be out in bad weather or you plan to put a lot of miles on your trailer, I can't see how you can do better than an Ollie. If you only want a luxury apartment, for the weekend, in good weather, or if you want to live aboard and be always hooked up to shore power, the AS might work better in the wide body models. Just don't base your decision on a few negative comments about the Oliver as the AS has it's share of complaints too.

I picked up my Elite II in March 2016. It is the first travel trailer I have owned but my parents owned two Airstreams, a couple of other riveted aluminum campers, a Class B motorhome and an Alaskan Camper. The Alaskan Camper (cab-over pickup camper) was the only one they kept for more than 2-3 years, primarily because of quality issues. My Ollie has not been completely trouble free, but the issues have been very minor. The back to my furnace fell off after about 15,000 miles due to vibration. Easy fix that Oliver paid for. I've had issues with the drawer between the twin beds coming out when traveling and Oliver has sent the necessary parts to a local RV shop to have that issue resolved (adding a latch). I had some issues with the hot water heater but discovered that I was the problem, not the water heater. The fact that Oliver doesn't have dealers that you can take the camper to for repairs is an issue, but I've found that the Oliver people will communicate effectively with a local RV shop if necessary. My Elite II is a very high-quality camper. In addition, the people at Oliver have shown a willingness to provide what I consider to be incredible customer service during the 16-17 months I've owned the camper. They are always available to answer questions, provide solutions and are genuinely interested in keeping me satisfied with their product. Pick up any issue of Trailer Life and read about owners' experiences with other manufacturers. The rule in this industry appears to be that the manufacturer forgets you the minute you pull away with your new purchase. I nearly purchased a new Airstream 27' front bedroom. Traveling with that camper would have been a very different experience for me. I think anyone considering an Oliver should carefully consider whether it's the right camper for them. The lack of a separate bedroom, the small size, etc. will cause some to decide it isn't. The small size (7' width), the robust solar capability, the two-layer fiberglass hull and other attributes will cause others to decide it is the right camper for them. Are Olivers perfect? No, but they are high-quality and the company is still small, family-owned, and has a high degree of commitment to customer service.

My Oliver is nine plus years old. Still happy, still get quick answers and support from Oliver if I have an occasional problem. How many manufacturers do that? I can't discount that new owners have recently had some issues, and that's a huge disappointment for them. I do know that no one, likely, is more disappointed than the Oliver family, and they'll make it right. Growing pains? Probably. My Oliver is my last trailer. Upgradeable, durable, tough, and clean. At least, that's my nine year experience. Sherry

I admit I'm a "glass half full" guy. I read this string and get the opposite impression. Everyone who posted, except one who did say she regretted purchasing her trailer, expressed satisfaction with their Oliver. Some worded their issues and opinions in strong terms, but overall are happy Oliver owners. Oliver even posted that they were aware and addressing issues. Not something you'll see over on Airforums. I've been on Airforums for several years and am an Oliver owner because of the many QC issues Airstream owners experience. No trailer will be fault free. A key question should be how well issues are addressed and fixed. The few I've had were corrected quickly and completely.

I carry several 2' lengths of 2X6 in the bed of the truck. They work well for quick leveling. We recently bought some of the yellow Camco legos and have started using them, especially if we're going to be stationary for a while. I still carry the 2X6's because they can come in handy for other tasks. Mike

An Open letter from Oliver Travel Trailers Dear Members of The Oliver Travel Trailer Online Forum Community, Over the last two weeks we have seen an increase in people addressing quality and build concerns on our online forum. First off, we want you to know that when we fall short of your expectations, then we fall short of ours. We are dedicated to producing a quality product that can be passed down from generation to generation. Oliver Travel Trailers is different in many ways from other manufacturers. One of these ways is our transparency with our customers and potential customers. This is why we have our own forum. We would like to thank you all for your feedback. New and potential customers may not be aware that we monitor the forum and listen in an attempt to learn from the members. We are always striving to make improvements and take care of any and all issues that arise. We are far from perfect but will continue to get better, always working to build the highest quality travel trailer available. With that being said we want all of you to know we have heard your concerns and recently implemented a new 3 stage quality control inspection to our build process. This is just one of the ways we are aiming to be the best in the industry. Tanks have been a recent hot topic on the forum and we want all of you to know we are currently working with an expert in the industry to see what we can do to improve current designs. We will update you as we learn more. Wiring appearance has been another topic that we are addressing by working with component manufacturers to improve quality of appearance and function on all wiring harnesses. As we improve and implement changes we will share these improvements from time to time with our customers and on this forum. We have always gone above and beyond to fix any issues our customers are having with their trailers and will continue with your help to make Oliver Travel Trailers the very best. Again, we would like to thank you for your feedback. In the future, we kindly ask that if you have a problem or concern with your Ollie, please call us directly so we can help you. This will provide us the details we need in a timely fashion and expedite our course of action. Of course, if you ever feel we have not done enough to fix or improve your issues once you have brought them to our attention then by all means feel free to address it on the forum. We are confident you will find that given the opportunity Oliver will take care of you and improve our product at the same time. We will never be too big or too busy to do the right thing. Sincerely, The Oliver Family

Ollie owners I'm soooo glad this kinda forum is available to prospective owners. you are the "early adaptors" of this product...and your insight has great value.! I don't have another "choice" in mind for my retirement travel trailer...but please suggest the things that will make it...my best choice.! I plan on making it my home...for 10yrs...please work out the bugs. do well.... 10-q dan

I'm currently a Building Official but from the time I was in High School, for the next 30 years I was in manufacturing. I ran a plant that made flight control systems for military and civilian aircraft. This equipment was mostly actuators that controlled flight surfaces like flaps, tail rudder, pitch and yaw, for Black Hawk helicopters, F-16 Falcon, YF-22, F-14, Boeing and Airbus. Most of the components were manufactured in house, but we also had a substantial vendor list. In that high volume and high precision environment I learned one thing: You cannot INSPECT quality into your finished product. On paper, a thorough inspection process at intervals of manufacturing a product looks good. In reality however, the inspection process becomes the proverbial 'Chinese fire drill'...feedback from units in service in the field identifies problems, engineering isolates cause, manufacturing may (or may not) change methods or materials. That fire gets extinguished, but in the months of tunnel vision type focus, other fires ignite. This is inevitable as the production must continue to meet customer demand. Minor problems related to the manufacturing process appear in different settings or sub systems, and the chasing of the tail continues. Granted, a huge issue like axles failing or something catching fire may 'stop the presses' until the issue is resolved. That does not seem to be the case here with Oliver Trailers. From what I can glean, the 'problems' are related to the manufacturing process and vendor issues. In the type of environment where the product is a travel trailer, the standard of each task is very difficult to illustrate much less define. This is because it is imprecise work done mostly by hand. The main issue here would be the training of the operator or performer of that task. Let's look at a totally hypothetical 'problem'...rats nest type unsecured wiring behind the round hatches. In a plant like Oliver's one or two personnel may be the key components of this operation. Joe and Bill are meticulous in their wiring methods, everything tied, secured, shrink wrapped, etc. Bill took a position in the whirlpool manufacturing line, Joe is on leave as his wife just delivered their second baby. Does the wiring process stop because these two experts are not available? No. The foreman assigns the next 2 capable people but they aren't nearly as fluent in electrical workmanship as Bill and Joe. But the job gets done albeit with the possibility of future failure. And this potential human fault is at every step, from molding to chassis welding, to systems installation. The key to quality in an environment like this is to develop standards, high standards, and provide training and cross training to employees to ensure these standards are met. It does not eliminate inspection but instead shifts the concept of quality from inspection into the manufacturing process itself. Focus on the process. This began with Demmings and ended up with ISO-9000 and beyond. This I believe, is where Oliver should put forth great effort. Oliver has an opportunity here. The RV industry as a whole is experiencing a surge in demand that it hasn't seen in 25 years. Oliver makes a unique product. They are also by industry measures, the most expensive/ sq.ft. of anything out there. They must step up as the innovative producer they are and garnish that innovation with a reputation of unparalleled quality. I don't believe they are far off from it. What they do or fail to do within the next 2-3 years will affect the future of their trailer business.

John, I camped at Tishomingo State Park in March, 2016 after I picked up my Oliver. It's a beautiful state park and worth a visit. I also visited Shiloh--well worth your time. I recommend that you also visit Corinth, Mississippi to get the full story of the Shiloh battle. The interpretive center/museum in Corinth is very interesting despite its unimpressive appearance from the outside. Here's one of my experiences at Tishomingo: " First afternoon in Mississippi. I was getting ready to back into my camping space with the Oliver and a fellow about my age wearing an NRA cap walked up and asked if I'd like him to help guide me into to my spot. I eagerly accepted his offer. After getting the Ollie parked, we talked for about 30 minutes. He and his wife live in southern Mississippi. He's a retired Methodist minister. We talked about Civil War battlefields in the area, the Civil War, stereotypical views of people in the North have about people in the South and the opposite. He grew up in Mississippi in the 50's and 60's. His father was very "country"--he shot squirrels for meat with a slingshot until getting his first .22 caliber rifle. He mentioned that his only exposure to the Klan growing up was when the Klan came to their house out in the country and tried to trick his Dad into coming outside to help them with a pickup supposedly stuck in a ditch. Earlier in the week Klan members had visited his Dad at a garage/service station his Dad owned. His Dad employed a black man and the Klan told him he had to fire his employee. His Dad refused, hence the night-time visit by the Klan." An experience at JuJu's Shrimpboat Cafe in Corinth, MS: "After I sat down at a table in the restaurant, a rather disheveled man in his early 70s walked in and complimented me on my choice of headwear. He asked where I was from, and I told him Iowa City, Iowa. He surprised me by telling me, in a thick southern accent, that he lived in Iowa City in the 1940s. His mom and dad both graduated from the University of Iowa. His dad was a MD and had a PhD in chemistry. His mother had A PhD in English literature. At some point, his father had a chemical company located in Dubuque. He decided to move the company to Jackson Mississippi. His mother knew Faulkner, Carson McCullers, Walker Percy and others. He still owns a farmland in Iowa and travels to Iowa City couple of times a year. We had a very interesting conversation for about a half hour." I found people in Tennessee and Mississippi to be very friendly and interesting. I hope you have a wonderful adventure like I did!