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Well after enjoying our Casita for the last couple of camping seasons we have just signed on the dotted line and will be getting our new Elite II in July. We are John and Susan L. from Ft. Worth, Texas and since the day we saw our first Oliver at a Casita Rally we said, that's our next trailer. I won't go into all the qualities of the Oliver, you all know about that and yes, I'm pretty picky about my stuff and the Oliver became our choice, so it's done. I go by "trainman" on the forums and also on the model railroad forums, yes I like trains, my favorite in the D&RGW Narrow Gauge, like in Durango and Chama. Susan and I both enjoy the outdoors and when at home we spend a lot of time outdoors, we do enjoy a glass of wine down by the lake enjoying the sites on our property. We will pass on the "Boondocking" part of camping, but spending a night in a Walmart parking lot is about as far we go when it comes to no hookups. We ordered our new Oliver without all the solar stuff and some of the other electronics that are available, we can stay home if we need to and enjoy that type of living there. I'm a real perfectionist and hands on guy and no project is something I won't give it a go, well I should say, if I will do it at this point in my life. Susan is an exceptional person and fits in where ever needed, she can handle it, I probably don't give her enough credit for the things she does. We both enjoy meeting and talking with others, I'm pretty outgoing, Susan is a little more reserved, thank goodness one of us is, she keeps me inline. We both are looking forward to meeting many of you down the road, camping is a wonderful experience enjoyed by many. trainman and trooper, John and Susan L.

It would be interesting to see what Oliver says but here's the insight provided by my very good friend and next door neighbor who happens to be the president of a very successful homeowner's insurance company. He's also been on the board of several other insurance companies throughout the United States prior to his current position here in VA. I posed the questions as previously stated and he submitted that the relationship between Oliver trailer owners who have volunteered to show their trailers to prospective customers for some sort of remuneration (gift card, small amount of cash, etc.) does not constitute a material relationship with Oliver. In other words, that person would not be considered an agent of Oliver trailers nor would that person be considered an Oliver employee. In short, this would not be considered a business relationship. He did say that this could change if you were working under some sort of contract with Oliver where in fact you might be considered an agent. In the example of the dog breeding exercise, he said that since this was being done pursuant to a contract and that you were being paid to perform services under that contract, that is materially a business relationship and to that end, your homeowner's policy would normally not cover you for liabilities for accidents related to that activity. Now that's coming from an industry expert and not me personally although I concluded from the beginning that we're on our own if something happens when we show our Olivers to interested parties. Having said that, I will personally show my trailer if asked. I would like however for someone to follow up on the waiver questions. Hobo

John, I think you and Hobo may have it backwards. I'm no lawyer, of course, but I believe that if you are acting as an agent of another company, that they are required to indemnify you against liabilities, just as if you were an employee. And I think that requirement is baked into the relationship by default; i.e., it doesn't have to be spelled out in a contract. So in other words, you want to be acting as Oliver's agent rather than as an independent party, and the offer of a commission I think seals the deal on you being an agent. I believe that it's Oliver's duty in this case to make sure that their agents' properties are safe and free of hazards. If they don't/can't do that, then that just makes the injured party's case against them that much stronger. For example, if I hire someone who works from home, and a client visits that home and slips on the front steps, I'm liable. Similarly, if the employee slips on his own front steps going to the mailbox to get a work related package, he can claim workers comp. I don't think there's much if any difference in those situations with an agent vs an employee. Again, not a lawyer, so I'm eager to hear other takes. What I'd like to see from Oliver is a) a clarification that they understand that owners are acting as agents on their behalf when showing their trailers, and b) assurance that they have proper insurance in place should a 3rd party injury occur.

Nan - None of us like paying taxes! But, try to put that tax paying chore into a bit of perspective. Back when you started saving your money into that 401K plan (and/or IRA) you didn't pay taxes on that money (at least on the Federal level). Then, for all those years that you had that money in those plans you earned interest and dividends on BOTH the money that you deposited AND the tax amount that you didn't have to pay when you made the original deposit. So, now when you want to withdraw those funds you have to pay the taxes but you are at least paying with some of the monies that you have earned on those tax monies that you didn't originally pay. Certainly a classic case of "pay me now" or "pay me later" (from the government's point of view) but at least it is a bit comforting (to me at least) to know that I've been earning money on those taxes that I should have paid originally. A second thought - please don't take the broad brush negative comments by some people about Wells Fargo as proof positive that the entire organization is BAD. In any organization of ANY size, there are good and bad people and things that should be avoided. Yes, Wells Fargo got caught doing things in parts of that organization that were not according to law, regulation or common decency. However, that does not mean that everyone in that organization or every part of that organization is/was bad. Financial institutions are constantly reviewed by several Federal and State regulatory agencies and "must" adhere to volumes of standards and regulations that touch virtually every part of that business. It is one of the higher regulated businesses that we have. Certainly when an institution (your bank, auto mechanic, airline, hair dresser, etc., etc.) fails to abide by acceptable standards and/or regulations (and are caught - which I believe they all will be caught in due time) our trust in them is somewhat eroded. When that happens (and ideally we should be doing this at all times) we should take a closer look at our dealings with them and decide for ourselves if that institution and the people within it continues to warrant our trust and/or business. Having said all this, I believe that depending on your own amount of financial expertise, you should treat major financial decisions in a manner similar to how you should treat major health decisions - if there is ANY doubt in your mind as to your course of action, you should seek a second opinion. Bill

There is a very nice Museum of Transportation - https://transportmuseumassociation.org/ - located just west south west of Saint Louis. They've got a bunch of old trains there if you happen to be in that area. Bill

The new version has a piece of rectangular bumper material spanning the distance between the frame members with a stout 1.25” square receiver ubolted through it in the center. I like it. A pic can be seen on the trailer Options page near the bottom. I cannot upload a pic since the forum is so screwed up right now... Pictures work, here is the factory image: Can we discuss this newest design here? There have been other threads about carrying bikes, using the older “platform” versions. Does anyone have the new one yet? Could it be ordered witha 2 inch receiver, the most common size? I really want to relocate my Oliver cargo tray from the tongue to the rear of the frame, and wonder if I could modify the tray with a steel 2” tube and additional bracing, and use it with this new receiver...? I know it would probably require side bracing with straps, that is OK with me. Thoughts? EDIT 10/16/18: From Jason: It is only available with the 1.25" opening. It would be about $850.00 for the receiver and shipping to Washington. I believe the reason they didn't bolt anything to the crossmember below is that they felt it may be too low to the ground but that is a guess as I did not assist with the new design. I do know that it was designed to hold a bike rack only up to 100lbs max. John Davies Spokane WA

I am going through my Oliver with a fine tooth comb since I picked it up last week and got it home. I could not get my 120 volt outlets to work as my previous post stated. The outlets would work with the generator on and with the inverter on but not when plugged into shore power. I checked the breakers and fuses and the called Oliver Service and left a message. Richie called me back. With him and Jason on the line, the problem was solved. My surge protector on the Oliver was throwing off a error code of E 02. That means the surge protector said there was an error (ground error) with the electrical source that I was plugged in to. I was plugged into a 3 prong outlet in my old barn. So, I grabbed my generator bonding plug out of my generator and plugged it into the barn outlet. Surprise, Surprise, Surprise! The surge protector in the Oliver suddenly said no error and the 120 volt outlets work like a charm. Being a rookie and a newbie to this RV thing, I am blessed to have Oliver Service helping me out. Now wonder what I will learn tomorrow. Thanks Richie and Jason!

My 120v outlets and microwave do not work when hooked up to my shore power. I have taken the following steps to try to troubleshoot the problem. The outlets and microwave work when I turn the inverter on. They work when I have the generator running with inverter off. I have good power coming from my source outlet. I plugged a lamp in at the source outlet and at the surge protector. The lamp works. So, I know, I have good power going to the Oliver. I checked the breakers under the dinette. All good. I lifted the street side bed and reset the red button. I have reset the GFI receptacle. Still not working. Any suggestions? I called Oliver and left voice message. Any help would be appreciated in the meantime. Thanks!

Thanks for the comments. I understand why Oliver chose a smaller receiver size, but then again you could just plug in an adapter stinger to fit a 2 inch accessory ... it would be way worse in terms of leverage than just having a 2 inch one there from the start. If they want to limit the weight, then give us a big hole and a big warning placard, "Exceed Max Load at Your Risk." I am comfortable building my own from good materials sourced locally, but if I could get a ready made one from the factory that could save me some time, effort and experimenting. Here is the pic from the website. The forum seems to be operating well again. And these four below were posted by someone a while back, sorry I cannot remember the name, but thank you. EDIT; I cannot post any pics, there are still issues... and I also cannot message Matt Duncan. Could somebody please try to get him and tell him there are still problems? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

John, From the photos I've seen I see no reason why you could not modify the structure to suit your needs. As you have removed the spare tire cover, easy removal of the unit is not a big issue. The cross support structure looks to be sufficiently sized to handle a 2" receiver and a 100 lbs. or so. If I was to do the mod, I would probably leave the current receiver in place, and bolt what I want over the top. Two bolts through the main support, and two through the current 1.25 structure. - very similar to the old setup that allows removal of the support frame. Perhaps the real issue is amount of weight the support can safely handle. The leverage on the receiver needs to be considered. From my experience, Oliver under rates, and over builds these type of structures, however, 200 lbs. hanging a foot or so off the receiver poses more downward pressure than a deadweight load. I doubt Oliver will change to a 2" - I'm sure the 1.25 was specifically chosen to keep people from overloading the support structure. People being people.... I don't see the new design as an improvement, but a response to customers asking for a "bike" mount. NOT as a heaver duty mounting structure for "other" loads. If you wanted to carry much higher weights, I would go back to the original Oliver design, with two 2" supports and design from there. If I was considering hauling a small cycle or such, that is the way I would go.... I really enjoy welding and fabricating these types of things, but as I am trying to reduce my tools and such, a nice new welding rig (MIG/TIG) is not in the cards (so says my SO) so I will just do without. RB