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Last September I noted the discrepancy that BlaiddDrwg referred to, and I wrote the following to Jason Essary. Hi Jason, I have a 2016 Oliver Elite II, Hull 164. I have a question about the grey water tanks. On page 47 of my Oliver Owner’s Manual, it says that the grey water tank holds 35.5 gallons, and on page 45 it says the fresh water tank has a 32.5 gallon capacity. It has these same tank volumes on the brochure you sent before I purchased. On your web site, you have conflicting information about tank size. http://olivertraveltrailers.com/trailers/legacy-elite-2/ In the ELITELY EQUIPPED STANDARD FEATURES section it says 32.5 Gal. Large Capacity Fresh Water Tank 35.5 Gal. Large Capacity Grey Water Tank However at the bottom of the page in the LEGACY ELITE II SPECIFICATIONS section it says Fresh Water Tank Capacity 30 gallons Grey Water Tank Capacity 30 gallons Which is correct for the grey tank? 35.5 gallons or 30 gallons? I have had problems with the accuracy of my grey tank monitor: See http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/grey-water-monitor-calibration/ If the grey tank is only 30 gallons, that would affect my calculations. Thanks, David I ended up talking to Jason on the phone, so I do not have his exact reply, but it was essentially that the lower numbers reflect the usable capacities. BTW, the web site still has these discrepant numbers on tank capacity: I updated my calculations and the graph showing Monitor Reading vs. Water in Tank. The new graph has Percent Full on the X-axis, which is more useful than Water (gallons). It is also attached as a pdf, so others can print it out if they want to use it. Grey-Tank-Chart.pdf

Randy - The answer is in the details - it is basically a 27 year old new Miata. I guess for some people that makes it "collectible". It would be a bit difficult to camp in. Overland - I was going to get that Ferrari for you, but, now that you know I guess I'll just have to think of something else! Bill

I have it selected in my account profile but I never receive them. They are not going into my SPAM folder. I missed a bunch of messages since I seldom go to that page to look. It is embarrassing to see ones from 3 months ago that I missed. Is there something else I can do to guarantee that I will get notified? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Here are a few photos from our wonderful tour with Scott. If he pointed at & explained something in detail, I snapped a picture. Embarrassingly, most of these I cannot explain but I thought they might be beneficial for prospective buyers. We pick up Hull # 292 (Shallow Gal 3) January 17th!

Finally we can contribute (I think) to the forum. We purchased this bug screen from Walmart Online. Used twisted wire to connect the screen to the Ollie

The Tampa show, biggest attendance in the country, and a dizzying number and variety of RVs, opens a week from tomorrow, on January 17. We go every year, just to see what's new, and get reminded of why we love our little Oliver Elite. Most years, we dry camp in the parking lot with friends or relatives. ($20, which includes your$12 parking fee for the next day.) We won't be camping this year, as invariably, people knock on our door and want to see our trailer. I don't want to show it with the gaping holes, soon to be fill with new fridge and replacement cabinet for our microwave. Plus, we will have house guests... If you are planning to go, your $10 ticket is good for two days. You'll probably need it. The state fairgrounds are full, and it's a lot of walking. $1 discount for seniors on opening day. We drove by today on our way to Orlando for the nahb international builders show. There were already about 300 units on the ground and staging in the parking lot. Days of work to get ready for this mammoth show. Sherry

John - I suspect that what we are seeing, at least at the moment, is due to the work Matt and Jason are performing on the website. I too am not getting emails when someone sends me a PM (just like the one that Mark just sent). All I can say is that a PM to Matt and/or Jason mentioning this problem might help. And, as I do, just check for PM's each time you login. Hopefully they will have this ongoing work done soon. Bill

The clear opening is 16" wide by 13 ¼" tall. Hope that helps.

Rumline - the "attic" is the overhead cabinet at the very rear of the Elite II. Bill

Sounds like a marvelous journey Bill. Between McKay Idaho and Ketchum is the Copper Basin. I believe you might enjoy going up there and fish a fork of the Big Lost. Plenty of cutthroat trout. Also some good places to Boondock. There are a couple of Forest Service campgrounds in the area. The North Fork of the Wood River is a very nice area to camp. I have not fished it but sure it is productive. Enjoy.

We have had our Oliver only since last September, and many of the RV systems are new to us. One issue is the Grey Tank. We take one short shower and wash a few dishes and the Grey Tank is half full. Since we were camping at a State Park with full hookups, I decided to do an experiment to test the calibration of the Grey Water Monitor. I did the experiment with the trailer completely level. I emptied the Grey Tanks, and the Monitor read 13. I then filled a 5 gallon bucket with water and poured it into the shower drain. Monitor reads 44! Only 5 gallons, and it reads 44! Pour another five gallons into the drain, record the monitor. Repeat. When I had poured 25 gallons into the system the monitor read 100. I could only pour about 3 more gallons into the drain before the tank was full and water backed up into the shower pan. Thus the total amount of water I could add was 28 gallons. Since the Oliver Grey Tank has a 35.5 gallon capacity, I assume that the tank was not fully drained, and it still had 7.5 gallons still in the tank at the start of the experiment. So I am not crazy. We add five gallons to the (nearly) empty Grey Tank, and the Monitor reads 44, but it is only 35% full. I did this experiment with the trailer level, because the trailer is level when I Monitor Grey Tank usage. I have noticed that when I empty the Grey Tanks with the nose elevated, the Monitor reads zero, but whenever I empty with the trailer level, the Monitor reads 13. Lesson: Empty tanks with nose elevated… Lesson two: I do not need to panic if the Monitor reads 80, it is only 2/3 full. My experiment is not perfect. I used a line on my bucket as the 5 gallon mark, and that may not be completely accurate. I could repeat the experiment with the tank fully emptied, but my wife already gave me grief about wasting 30 gallons of fresh water. My questions: Have others experienced this problem? Is there an easy fix, short of a 1650 mile drive to Hohenwald? Finally, we camped at Kodachrome Basin State Park, which was lovely. Highly recommended. They take reservations at the campground, and we reserved a site with hookups. 15 of the 34 sites have hookups. The site we had with hookups was really nice. But if we go again I would reserve one of the non-hookup sites on the edge of the campground. These sites are very pretty and really private. David

So I went through the process of setting up my Oliver for Fords pro back up system yesterday. Today I needed to put the trailer back in my shop and together with the back up camera on the Oliver and using the Ford back up system I made a perfect approach on the first try. Usually I have to make several attempts to get it just the way I want it. It was a little scary, kind of like an instrument approach in zero zero weather. There is no ‘seat of the pants’ feeling. The Ford Pass is really cool. I can control my truck, check the gas, set the temperature, start the engine, etc. with my cellphone while I’m still in my trailer. This will come in handy when I’m leaving at o’dark hundred for a photo shoot and it’s freezing outside. Tomorrow I’m having Line-x in a leadfoot grey color put in the bed. Next will come a Bakflip MX4 bed cover. Finally I will beef up the suspension with a Roush leveling kit and Fox shocks fore and aft, custom tuned for the F150.

*Please visit Trojan's Battery Maintenance Page for more details at: http://www.trojanbattery.com/tech-support/battery-maintenance/ Watering FLOODED BATTERIES ONLY Flooded batteries need water. More importantly, watering must be done at the right time and in the right amount or the battery’s performance and longevity suffers. Water should always be added after fully charging the battery. Prior to charging, there should be enough water to cover the plates. If the battery has been discharged (partially or fully), the water level should also be above the plates. Keeping the water at the correct level after a full charge will prevent having to worry about the water level at a different state of charge. Depending on the local climate, charging methods, application, etc., Trojan recommends that batteries be checked once a month until you get a feel for how often your batteries are need watering. Important Things to Remember Do not let the plates get exposed to air. This will damage (corrode) the plates. Do not fill the water level in the filling well to the cap. This most likely will cause the battery to overflow acid, consequently losing capacity and causing a corrosive mess. Do not use water with a high mineral content. Use distilled or deionized water only. CAUTION: The electrolyte is a solution of acid and water so skin contact should be avoided. Step-By-Step Watering Procedure Open the vent caps and look inside the fill wells. Check electrolyte level; the minimum level is at the top of the plates. If necessary add just enough water to cover the plates at this time. Put batteries on a complete charge before adding any additional water (refer to the Charging section). Once charging is completed, open the vent caps and look inside the fill wells. Add water until the electrolyte level is 1/8″ below the bottom of the fill well. A piece of rubber can be used safely as a dipstick to help determine this level. Clean, replace, and tighten all vent caps. WARNING: Never add acid to a battery. Watering Diagram Flooded batteries need water. But more importantly, watering must be done at the right time and in the right amount or the battery’s performance and longevity suffers. General Watering Instructions: Add water, never acid, to cells (distilled water recommended) DO NOT OVERWATER For fully charged standard deep-cycle batteries, add water to the level of 1/8 below bottom of vent well (see diagram A below) For fully charged Plus Series batteries, add water to the maximum water level indicator (see diagram B below) If the batteries are discharged, only add water if the plates are exposed. Add just enough water to cover the plates, then charge the batteries. Once fully charged, add water to the proper level indicated above After watering, secure vent caps on batteries Diagram A *Add water to 0.125″ below bottom of the vent well. Diagram B *Add water to the maximum water level indicator. Please visit Trojan's Battery Maintenance Page for more information at: http://www.trojanbattery.com/tech-support/battery-maintenance/

Calling all fulltimers! Just released this week was a press release/article/questionnaire that is seeking your story. The questionnaire will run throughout 2018. The press release is titled, New Article Deepens the Perspective of Fulltime RV Living, and can be read along with the article, The Fulltimer Effect: Strengthening Our Story, on http://www.rvcompass.com I would love to have all fulltimers participate in the questionnaire and if you can help spread the word, especially on social media, I’d be very grateful.

Bradbev - give Anita or Brent a call at the Sales office and ask them to measure the doors there. Even with the slight angle from outside to inside these doors (obviously) do the trick. Bill

"One of these things is not like the others, one of these things does not belong" How did that Miata get in there...

10' is what I go by for any roadway signage, when I checked mine it was just about 9½'. Myself I would go with the 10'opening, I said opening and not just door cause it needs to completely open. If it's a little too close you can always just adjust your air pressure a little, to go in and out.

Camp Food Stamp folded up today after a month of fish fry's and dutch oven cooking. Here is a look for those that couldn't make it this year.

We pick up our Oliver next month. This is our first RV, and I did a fair bit of research on both insurance and emergency roadside assistance. We have had our cars insured by Allstate for 40 years. I never checked around for a better deal. Either pretty stupid, or inertia won out. As I learned, it pays to shop around. My research started with forums, and an especially good thread on Fiberglass RV http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f94/travel-trailer-insurance-63515.html. People there really liked Good Sam. I also looked at Consumers Reports, and I will try to attach their report. I found the Consumers Advocate web site VERY useful on RV insurance. https://www.consumersadvocate.org/rv-insurance Also the JD Power customer satisfaction survey. http://www.jdpower.com/press-releases/2015-us-auto-insurance-study I also found a web site, thezebra.com that allows you to do two-way comparisons. https://www.thezebra.com/geico-vs-aaa/ USAA Insurance was clearly the top ranked company. If you are a US military veteran, I would check them out based on their top ranking. I am not a veteran, but both of my parents were veterans, and even though their web site says children of veterans are eligible, their web site would not provide me with a quote. I got quotes from a seven insurance companies: Allstate, Good Sam, AAA, Progressive, Geico, and Hartford (AARP affiliated). Costco uses Ameriprise, but they do not cover RVs. I asked for a quote with coverage for two vehicles, a 2010 Prius and a 2017 Audi Q7 (our new tow vehicle), and the Oliver. Here are the quotes, all on a 6 month basis. Allstate $1488 Good Sam $1701 AAA $693 Progressive $725 Geico $734 Hartford $1850 All quotes are for similar policies, what the industry calls 100/300 (Bodily Injury $100,000 each person, $300,000 each occurrence) with high deductibles ($1000 Collision/ $500 Comprehensive). Not all of the policies are the same. Good Sam is really attuned to the RV community and so its policy is Full Replacement Cost Coverage, while others are not. See the Consumers Advocate webpage for an understanding of Full Replacement Cost Coverage. Some of the quotes gave me a break down by vehicle 1, vehicle 2, and travel trailer, while others did not. Some links to their info pages: Good Sam http://www.goodsamrvinsurance.com/rv-insurance/why-choose-vip.asp Geico https://www.geico.com/rv-insurance/ Progressive https://www.progressive.com/rv/ Hartford AARP https://www.thehartford.com/aarp/rv-insurance AAA does not have a single page, since there are multiple, independent entities. Utah is part of CSAA (California State Automobile Association), which also covers Nevada. We decided to go with AAA, even though they do not have Full Replacement Cost Coverage. Mostly it was price, but I also liked dealing with them on the phone. Progressive was awful on the phone (hard sell), but they had the best web site. All of them give substantial discount if you have multiple vehicles, and additional discount if you also have homeowners. Our homeowners policy with Allstate expires in December, and I will compare costs once again. Emergency Roadside Assistance Geico: https://www.geico.com/auto-insurance/emergency-road-service/ Good Sam: https://www.goodsamroadside.com/compare/ Good Sam: https://www.goodsamroadside.com/findaplan/ Note that the Good Sam price is for the first year only. Price goes up substantially in the second year. Complaints about that on the forums. AAA is separate for each state organization. Google with AAA roadside assistance YourState. (Digression: I found that the MidAtlantic AAA covers Bicycles. In case of an accident or mechanical breakdown, they will pick you up and bring you home! There have been a few occasions I would have liked that!) We have had AAA Emergency Roadside Assistance for 40 years. Inertia again. Apparently some years ago they created multiple levels, and we had the Regular at a cost of $56 (first driver) + $34 (second driver) = $90 per year. What I did not know is that when the made multiple levels they downgraded it to only 5 miles towing. We have now upgraded to the AAA Plus RV plan for $85+$45=$130, which covers 100 miles towing and the trailer. They also have a Premier Plan ($119+$75=$194) which covers 200 miles towing and other goodies, mostly discounts at retailers. Hope my research is of use to you. I had read on this forum about how hard it is to wait for my own Oliver to be built, and I now understand! Only 26 more days! David Car-insurance-Reliability.pdf Best-Car-Insurance-Buying-Guide-Consumer-Reports.pdf