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Like many Oliver Owners I ran across the name Oliver Travel Trailers quite by accident, whether it was a random mention in a You Tube video or something else on the internet. After selling my last trailer (a 2000 HI-LO) the search was on. Things quickly got narrowed down to an Airstream. The salesman had a used model which had just sold and he mentioned that it had a small dent in one aluminum panel which necessitated a $3000 reduction in the price. To replace any panel is at least $3000… ouch! He said there was an Airstream rally out in Wyoming where over 100 Airstreams had been totaled by a hail storm. When the Oliver came to my attention the worries over hail, leaks, and rotten plywood floors were moot. In addition, all the pros were still there. Compact size and wind resistance and great tow ability, not to mention things you would have a hard time getting from Airstream like 340 watts of solar, 400AH AGM batteries and a composting toilet. Well after a factory tour a year ago January and the rally last May, the order went in in June and we picked up hull #381 in September. I know I am preaching to the choir here but there are many on the forum who are still on the fence. Jump in the water is fine. Here is a link to a great channel on You Tube from Airstream Owners giving their opinion of long term ownership. The part where they pull up carpet revealing wet plywood floors makes me cringe. Enjoy

BACKGROUND: In previous threads I learned that a front hitch on my F150 should help with maneuvering my LE2 up a 7 degree driveway, and around the side of the house. I purchased and installed a Curt FH for the F150 (that was fun). The receiver of the FH sits even with the front axle (12 inches off the ground). That’s not very high. To get a better height to meet the hitch on the LE2, I’m using a 5” rise ball mount with a 2” rise ball (so the top of the ball is about 20” off the ground). ISSUE: Here’s the thing, I expect that when I push the LE2 up the driveway, and my front tires are still on the road, the bottom of the ball mount will meet (SCRAPE) the sloped ramp of the driveway. Unloaded, there is about 1” clearance, but with 500-600 lb of tongue weight, not so much. SOLUTION: Ultra-Fab Receiver Mount Protector. (A better name is a “ball mount protector”). The roller engages the slope before the bottom of the ball mount and keeps the nose up until the front wheels of the F150 leave the road and engage the ramp as well. See the pic Ultra-Fab Products 48-979020 Receiver Mount Protector https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003YJHZKW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_B9yJCbCS6W9DQ

George & Karen, Welcome! My Truma has two electrical switches, and both must be on. One is inside the cabin; mine is beneath the pantry, but the switch might be in a different location on your unit. The other switch is outside, behind the access panel. Also there is a water inlet valve on the Truma that is closed only for winterization. You should be able access this from a round access porthole under the curbside bed Hope this helps.

Ken & Judy - I viewed that video earlier this morning. As it was playing, I could not help but compare my Oliver on a point by point basis. Not only did the Oliver compare favorably on the Airstream negatives but it also did great on what Loloho thought were positives (for the Airstream). Kind of like having the best of both worlds! Bill

Hey Ken and Judy! If you look at my profile, you will see that I named my Airstream "The Silver Sieve." If I wanted to design a TT to rot itself out, I couldn't do better than an Airstream. Replacing one axle and the AC? The nearest dealership wanted $5000.00. I told them that I wanted Sandra Bullock to call me "Big Daddy" but that wasn't going to happen either. It is somebody's hunting camp now and I am towing an Ollie. No regrets.

John, Got it. Thanks a bunch.

Up until the end of the 2018 model run the hull number was the last 3 of the VIN. Beginning with the 2019 models they had to renumber the VIN numbers and the last four would begin at 0001. In order to continue the continuity of production numbers from the beginning I heard they will be applying a number plaque maybe on the inside of the closet door or somewhere.

Under the curbside access make sure the valves are are not set to winterize, including the bypass valve on the back of the Truma. I had the same problem with no hot water but I went outside and opened the access door and located the on-off-on switch and cycled it a few times. That did the trick and I have had no problem from then on.

George and Karen, welcome from another Hill Country owner! Where are you located? We’re just outside of Boerne. Enjoy your new trailer and hope to see you on the road! Mike

I would put a 2x12 stick of lumber (or whatever combination of lumber) in the ditch so the front wheels don't go so low when crossing the ditch/gutter/whatever to raise the front wheels, thus raising the hitch. I do question the raise of the trailer hitch ball so high, this just lowers the rear of the trailer more and could cause the trailer to hit the driveway when backing up the 7% grade. Lumber in low areas can solve a lot of problems as it is probably the easiest and least expensive way to solve this problem. I only know this from experience. trainman

Interesting, I looked for something like that 5 years ago to keep the back bumper on the OOII from dragging on extreeeeeme breakover angle inclines. Finally designed my own.

That’s neat. I really want to add a front receiver but I’m surprised that the Curt hitch is so low. I have these pics from a guy who replaced his F-150 tow hooks with these custom receivers that he had made from a stock receiver tube welded to the existing hook. I’ve considered having one made. Only problem seems to be that his rock plate doesn’t fit back correctly. Interested to hear what others think of the idea...

The March 22 2018 link is good, not the one at the top of this thread, which is a dud, and I cannot edit that post! Or try here. http://olivertraveltrailers.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/OLIVER-TRAILER-CHECKLIST-021818.docx Be sure to edit it for your particular equipment. For example external solar panel or sat antenna, tv coax, etc, none of which I have. Also, I have tire pressure listed as “80 psi recommended.” While true, you could change it to your actual running pressure, in my case for an Elite II, I use 45 psi. As far as I know, Oliver still has not changed their recommendation to reflect actual real world pressure, rather than the very high sidewall rating. John Davies Spokane WA

John, We converted the Bellevue Ohio roundhouse with turntable into a Maintenance of Way Equipment shop during the 80s. Steam engine folks always wanted to used one of our bays for maintenance during the winter. The 490,000 pound N&W 611 J class used our turntable to come into the shop for the winter. Steam Engine folks wanted to bring the N&W 1218 into the shop too, but at over 900,000 pounds we would not let them cross the turntable. Historical groups loved to visit the shop, discuss shop history, and see the turntable operate.

Kartchner Caverns State Park-Arizona

Franklin Mountain State Park outside of El Paso.