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One of the things I asked Oliver to do for me was to install a 12" counter extension to the right of the cooktop that could be folded down when not in use. I figured we could use the extra counter space, plus I wanted a buffer between the cooktop and beds for splatter. This is what they came up with - This was perfectly fine and exactly what I was expecting, and we've really enjoyed using it. The only thing I didn't really like was that the hardware was finicky and just didn't work well. And the top ended up about 9" rather than 12", so it was a little small. And we had asked if they could make a piece of fiber granite to match, but they'd have to make a new mould for it so that wasn't going to happen. It also would have been nice if the extension were flush to the counter. So maybe a lot of problems. But we were happy with it nonetheless. But one day when I was running some wires through the pantry, I had removed the countertop beneath for access and just naturally set it down on top of the counter extension. Well, it fit perfectly; and thus, a new project was added to the list. I asked Oliver if they would sell me an extra top and picked it up when I got my trailer out of service a few weeks ago. I believe they charged $150 for it. Since I was redoing the top, I figured I'd search for better hardware as well. I found several options, but the ones that stood out were these from Amarine. They're super heavy duty and stainless steel. They work much better than what we had, and look nicer to boot. The only problem was that they were about a half inch too long for the countertop, so they'd have to be cut to size. But worth the trouble, so I ground the ends off a half inch. If you don't want to go through that trouble, my second choice was these, which are small enough to fit without modification. I cut a ½" piece of plywood that I could screw into to use as the base for the top. A ½" sheet will sit flush to the lip of the counter, which is what I wanted, but to make the countertop flush to the existing counter, it meant the hinges had to be high enough that I had to grind out a small notch for each hinge to clear. No big deal - btw, a Dremel with a small sanding cylinder works really well on the fiberglass, and leaves a smooth edge and no chipping whatsoever. Wear a mask. Here are the notches - The brackets are easy, just mark the holes, drill, and screw. I used ¾" #10 stainless on the bottom legs and ¼" #8's on the top. And 3M 4200 along each leg and on each screw going into the fiberglass to prevent it from backing out over time. Since none of the surfaces in the trailer are perfectly 90°, I needed to shim something to make the counter level. I considered grinding down the latch that holds the brackets at 90°, but that would have been difficult and if I ground off too much, I'd have to buy another bracket. Instead, I decided to shim between the plywood and fiber granite and then glue the top to the plywood with more 3M 4200, which I'm using so much that I've started referring to it around the house now as Snowball Glue. It's only about ⅛" max to shim - I used some stainless washers that I had lying about and just glued them down in each of the corners. I found that the top was a bit warped, so I had to weigh it down while the glue set - See, I knew lead acid batteries still had a use. I let it sit overnight and in the morning, I had what's in the photo above. Cool. BTW, if you want to do this and have mattresses, then you'll want to check their thickness to make sure the extension will clear when folded. Measure down 12" from the bottom lip of the counter. If your mattress is below that, you're good. If you have cushions, then no problem, but you'll need to move one of the back ones out of the way when raising or lowering the top. More pics -

The spammer is now banned. The posts have been removed. Not sure how they are getting in. Mike

Our trailer was one of the last 'custom' trailers to be built. When we started talking with Oliver, custom was pretty much the norm and if you wanted to do something cool, they'd give it a shot. In fact we were encouraged by Robert Partee on our first visit to come up with some new ideas for them to try. But that was before they decided to dramatically increase production in 2017 with the second production line and all. Because we were sort of in the mix already with our trailer, and because they also new that we had cancelled a completely custom trailer from a different company to go with Oliver, they allowed us to continue with the modifications (and I think there were a few other trailers going through the line with ours that had some customization going on). But Oliver regretted having done so. With their new production line, so many new employees and older ones learning new jobs, it was just too much for them to pull our trailer out to make the necessary modifications before the next step was to begin. And they ended up missing a few things in line that were going to be simple but ended up being very difficult to retrofit in service later. And we had to take the trailer back to Oliver and leave it for another few months to finish stuff up later. In other words, it was a real pain for Oliver, and it tried everyone's patience, especially ours, and there were mistakes and miscommunication and missed deadlines, etc. However, we truly appreciate everything they did and in the end we have a great trailer. The irony is, that apart from one, maybe two of our modifications, I think it all probably could have been done faster and better if it just went through the line with normal options and then modified later on in service. And if anyone were to ask, that's what I'd say try to do anyway. Or, better still, do them yourself, which is what these kinds of threads are all about. Many of the things we had them do, I think now I'd rather have done myself anyway. At the time, it was too overwhelming for me to imagine doing them, but now that I've started to cross things off the list, the rest seem less daunting. But things like this counter extension I've essentially redone and so with 20/20 hindsight, there was no reason to have asked for it. Eventually there will be enough Ollies out there and coming off the line that I think some enterprising soul will have enough potential customers to open up an Ollie customization business. I could also see Oliver doing something like spinning off and expanding their service department into a customization business like that. That's what I've told them they should do at least.

Yeah... Looks like the spammers work weekends lol... they have been removed.

We were told no on a couple of simple request too. After seeing some crazy mods going on when we took the factory tour and talking about them with Brent I fully understand why they stopped. They were holding up the line big time and had to do something. The Oliver is a great trailer the way it is offered and with the options list they offer it is over the top. Escape also used to do almost any request you could think of and stopped just before we ordered ours for the same reason. They cannot be expected to hold up the line for custom requests that will affect production so for now they have stopped all custom work to concentrate on quality which was fine with me. I was able to get the bath mirror lowered 6" for my wife. :-)

Excellent work once again! I agree that Oliver should make this a standard option. I asked Anita about adding a countertop extension when we were in our build and she told me that they could not do it. I guess it is all in who you ask. Regardless, I will be adding this to my “want” list. Thanks for posting!

Due to the propane enclosure and the main trailer body being separate I could easily see the relative movement between the two. When the trailer stopped, I could see some flexing. I would expect to see a little but, what I saw was way too much so I looked under the tongue area.

When I first got my Oliver I would have liked to put up a paper towel holder like the one I have at home, that has tension that makes it easy to rip off a single sheet one handed. But at that time I was afraid of drilling into the fiberglass. For a paper towel holder I got a simple white plastic unit and attached it with double stick tape. But the one at home is much better. Then, one of my projects this winter was to relocate the TV using the excellent strategy outlined by Mike and Carol. Not only drilling thru fiberglass, but a hole saw! So now I may put up a new paper towel holder. Rather than the SimpleHuman model recommended by Overland and John Davies, I will get the Kamenstein model that I have at home that I like so much. Both models have great reviews, and both have a tension system to allow you to rip off a single sheet with one hand. However, the SimpleHuman model is $26, while the Kamenstein model is $15.

That is a simply luscious holder, I have two in my home and one in Mouse, mounted in the same spot as yours I used stainless screws and nylocks. It is a rather expensive holder but it has NO faults other than its cost. John Davies Spokane WA