Leaderboard

I wouldn't hesitate to look at an Oliver that's over a decade old. Probably, because I own one. For 12 seasons, now. What to look for? Water heater will die. It's a cheap replacement, for 6 gallon. We replaced the 6 gallon with a girard instantaneous. Probably a waste, but it's nice. Possibly, refrigerator. They seem to have variable lives. Ours was toast. Replaced for less than $1000 with 12v danforth/ secop compressor truck fridge. Other friends have had zero issues in 11 years. Go figure. Then, do the normal tire kicker stuff. Tread. Age of tires. Brakes. Etc, etc It's the components that wear out. Not the trailer. We took ours in for maintenance in April, and there was a line out the door. People who worked there really wanted to see a 2008, almost 12 years old, that looked so new...

The solar panel install went so smoothly yesterday I woke up this morning with the energy to finally tackle the battery monitor install I had been postponing for months. I think I am going to just leave it by the EMS monitor for now just because it is easy to use via bluetooth in the Victron Connect app.

Closely inspected our 2015 Ollie's frame several times and have not found any issues with welds or signs of fatigue. Our Ollie has been towed between 30,000 to 40,000 miles miles so far (purchased used). Replaced the Maxx Roof Fan, 3" black tank valve, Furrion AM/FM/DVD player, and power supply (non-solar) so far. We're very happy with Ollie, just returned yesterday from another camping trip in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Heading back again during July to get out of the heat here at home. Plenty of interest in Ollie wherever we go and folks want to know if it's new because of the beautiful exterior and interior finish.

[postquote quote=178536][/postquote] That’s against the law in Florida. But just call and I’ll come and get you out. Mike

New nautical clock for the Ollie! Chelsea from the Patriot collection. Fits nicely. https://www.chelseaclock.com/style/patriot-collection/

Hello from Craig and Sheila Nickels We have been UAE expats for the last 6.5 years. We are flying from Abu Dhabi to Hohenwald to pick up our new Ollie Elite II on July 2. We have so enjoyed all the background and research you have provided us in the forums. Look forward to seeing you on the road and at the 2020 Rally. Craig and Sheila Nickels Marble Falls, TX

Great app for your family & friends to see where you've been & where you are! From their website: Once connected to the internet, your travel routes, locations and photos are seamlessly transferred to your personal traveler profile, where your route is plotted on a colourful world map that can easily be shared with friends and family. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.polarsteps

It’s official. I’m now part of the OTT family 06/26/2019 hull # 484 I’m without words, ok I’ll say a few. I have had many Rvs, TT, fifth wheels, toy haulers and slide in truck campers. No class A,s beyond my budget. When I walked in today and saw the trailer I I was truly amazed. Never had that feeling before with the other Rvs As we were going over the unit I kept shaking my head. I think they thought I wasn’t wrapped to tight. I was in total amazement how well this trailer was put together. This truly is the best Travel Trailer out there. The forum has been great looking forward to being a part of OTT for years to come. And meeting new friends. Thanks everyone.

There are marine supply places that will do custom plates, or maybe a local sign shop could match what's already in the trailer. I can't remember if my display came with a plate for a larger opening - it may have. I think it was ScubaRX who made some custom switch plates for his trailer - I know someone did.

Tidied up the wires a bit and added some 1/2 in. s.s. straps attached to the panel just for some safety redundancy since I used VHB tape only for install. Thanks everyone.

Mid-ship right along beside the solar wire (adjacent to the pantry)... straight shot. No drilling.

All great questions & concerns John. Full size photos are downloaded when you have stable wifi, battery usage LLP pwhich correlates to location accuracy is adjustable, & the location access can easily be turned on/off. I haven't delved into the photo book because I've always used Walgreens for those. Mike, when we leave the Badlands, we're heading to Montana to track down Top Gun for fly-fishing lessons. Chris

I up graded our Anderson hitch when it first became available; the cost was $100.00. They sent a complete new unit except for the stinger that goes into your vehicles trailer hitch, also no new chains. They sent instruction on how to return the old unit at their expense. I have had no issues with the new up graded Anderson hitch.

Neat, it is also available for IOS. I downloaded it but decided not to use it. It won’t operate unless Location Access is set to Always, which I do not like. It uses about 4% of your battery life in 24 hrs which is OK but I don’t want it tracking without the App open. Does it upload full sized images or does it reduce the file size? Do you have full authority so it doesn’t start uploading stuff when you are connected to a slow Wifi server? You can order an actual printed travel album from them at a reduced cost (10 Euros off) but I wonder what the actual cost is. That would make a nice gift ... maybe .... the only relatives that like looking at travel pics are your spouse and maybe a housebound grandparent. The kids don’t care. LOL. Thanks for posting. John Davies Spokane WA

Cool! Krunch and I have been wondering how far along the route you all have made it. Stay safe and keep us posted. Mike

Thanks for the double "Welcome". We definitely are not looking forward to having the longest pickup journey. We are super excited to be joining the Oliver community.

I'm in the habit of waiving, or flashing the lights, or having a quick conversation with all fiberglass trailer owners. Especially Oliver owners. Some folks flash me first and some are oblivious as I acknowledge them. So, here is the newest problem: As we begin to travel with the new HQ19, and continue to see Olivers and Casitas, etc, waving at them will just cause confusion. They are unlikely to know why I'm giving them the thumbs-up! So I guess I'll just smile, or comment "nice trailer!" Wait till we are camped with 100 of them at the next rally! Or we attend the evening ceremonies! Of course, we have decided to name the new trailer "Ollie", so maybe nobody will notice.

[postquote quote=178554][/postquote] There was one frame failure, and it must be the one you reference. That frame was replaced by Oliver. One of the causes was poor welding penetration. Apparently, all future frames had gussets added at high stress points and the welding was improved. There have been three, I think, rear stabilizer jack bracket failures. These were ones that were installed by mistake, without the welding being completed. Then the brackets were changed to steel which eliminated that potential mistake. Looking at the general design, the amount and dimensions of the materials used, the general load management strategy and the workmanship, I've never seen a better design. It's interesting too, that the body has it's own structural integrity. So, an Oliver is more like a boat sitting on a boat trailer, than a frame being the structural backbone of the trailer. Boats, for instance, are already strong in their shape, and the trailer just supports them and pulls them along. The Oliver body is already strong in itself. The frame supports it, pulls it along and has to resist bending near the front of the body, with all of the weight and towing stresses. That area, near the front of the body, is where the frame is extremely strong. Further, if some kind of failure did occur, Oliver is not the kind of company that would just decide the trailer was out of warrantee and refuse to help. They want the owners and themselves to have a continuing good relationship. To be a "family". They are building their brand and are out in front of the industry with their customer relations. They are known for going back and retrofitting fixes regardless of the age or current owner of the trailer. A couple of small examples of this are the electrical ground and the water tank fix. Another was a bike rack failure. Oliver improved the design, came the trailer to replace it free and refunded the cost of the bikes.

I just try to flash them!

I vote for this as the official Oliver greeting.

We pickup our trailer on July 8th, my wife ordered custom sheets to fit from somewhere online which was posted on this forum in another post. We have been looking for bed sets and have not been able to find what we wanted in a twin, so our next step is to cut a king and do what was mentioned here, it should work out just fine per the wife's knowledge of sewing, yes she took Home Economics in high school, it's starting to payoff. trainman

@Hardrock, I agree with you despite Am Solar's claims and my anxiety about being able to pull them off one day without damaging the hull. Redundancy, for the sake of safety seems smart. So instead of running a separate cable I am going to attach some 1/2 in S.S. wire straps to the 10 g double insulated wire connecting it the panel (heaving duty with conduit) and attach it to the panel's aluminum frame. On the junction end there is another larger 2-3 metal cable strap tying all the panel wires together, so it should hold if anything happens to the panel bond. Thanks for reminding me what others have said, I hear ya! https://www.amazon.com/LOKMAN-Stainless-Cushioned-Insulated-Installation/dp/B01HPE188Q/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=1%2F2+in+cable+strap&qid=1561719228&s=gateway&sr=8-4

John, Most of us, going down the road are attempting to get somewhere and may not be able to read the mind of a passerby as to rendezvous spot. And I would also think many Ollie owners are not on the forum at all. Over the last eleven years, whenever I see a fellow fiberglass trailer (we're all in a very small community of travelers) in the opposing lane, I flash the lights, roll down the window, toss out my arm and wave like a madman. I think I get about a 20% return wave and it feels grand. My most unique encounter with a fellow Ollie owner was when there were only about 20 Ollies in existence. I stopped into an RV park just to dump and put on fresh water, in California. While I was in process, a couple pulled up in their rig, pulling another Elite. The driver hopped out and we both simultaneously exclaimed "Who the HE** are YOU?" Well they owned a hull number well before my #14 and invited me to camp in their yard and get acquainted. It's a wonderful world . . . Pete

I wouldn't have any qualms about cutting a king quilt into two bunk spreads. At homegoods, it's much easier to find one king quilt than two twin xls. Might want to cut the typical length (108 or so) into width, as the usual width (90 or so) is plenty. Bear in mind that the pattern would change, horizontal stripe becomes vertical, etc, but, it would give you a foot to fifteen inches all around on each side for tucking neatly under the mattress. If the quilt is cotton, I'd wash and dry first to check shrinkage. I lost a couple inches on a quilted covetlet I recently bought for one of my guest rooms. I'd use quilt tape to finish the raw edges. Most quilts use a self fabric bias tape, so either look for a color that's close, or use white. You'll tuck it into the side, anyway. I'd use a quilt tape of at least 50/50 poly to avoid shrinkage later. Long ago, I made a fitted quilt for our sailboat v-berth, using quilt tape for the edges. We still use it. It really wasn't that hard. Bunk sheets are available on Amazon, Campingworld. Walmart, etc.

Stress fractures where? I have a 2015 for sale in the classifieds that is better than new.

It is the 6 in dial version and it has a brass screw lock on the left side.. the whole front swings out to reveal a small German made quartz movement (AA battery). Made in USA otherwise. Does not tick. Me too... the original is a metal wind-up, super nice but very heavy and expensive. This one fits and works nice for this application. The back is perfectly flat, so it is an easy install with some VHB tape. @John, after some use I realized it does have a mild tick noise.

It makes me really sad to see such shoddy work from the factory techs. There is no excuse for that. It is a result of the person not caring at all about the quality of his work. But more upsetting, it was not inspected and corrected afterwards. Two fails, bad news. I am not impressed. John Davies Spokane WS