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Check the cotter pin, aka split pin, that keeps the step rod in place. There should also be a thick flat washer on the rod.

We are picking up OTT 483 at the factory tomorrow then staying 4 nights at Davy Crockett campground. We've been anticipating pick up for a while now and are excited to get started. This forum has been a great help to us and a big thank you is in order to you folks who regularly share information and offer valuable advice. We are new RVers and in the spirit of helping someone else who may be new to this and picking up their trailer soon, we hope to post about our experience once we get back home to Louisville. Everything from the orientation to towing and backing (first time for us) to how the trailer and its components performed. Ed

The night before we left to pick up 483, OTT called and said they discovered water in the trailer and were still going over it to locate the source. That pushed us back to a late afternoon pick up. The factory said they could not duplicate the water issue (a small amount was found on the counter by refrigerator). They suspect it was condensation rather than a leak. We appreciate their telling us about it and trying to locate the problem. We had a pretty heavy rain at Crockett SP and had no issue with water. Towing, even for this first timer, was pretty easy. Just took it slow and watched the turns. Backing the trailer into the camp space was a bit different. We got to the site at dinner time and provided entertainment to people eating as they got to watch me take about 15 minutes and 4 attempts to back into the space. But, we got it in there and all was good. We checked and used many of the trailer components and they all worked as advertised. The AC is loud. Emptied the grey tank at about 75% since we were unsure of how accurate reading is. As I mentioned, a storm with pretty heavy rain came through and we were glad to see we seemed to have stayed dry. We had one minor issue and that was the cap on the toilet (compost) vent pipe that was broken and needed to be replaced. Called the service department about 2pm on Friday. They offered to send someone to the campground to do the repair, but said they would prefer us bringing the trailer to them. Although they were closing at 4, they agreed to wait on us to get it there, which took these newbies a bit longer than it should have. The cap was a quick fix and the service rep said whoever placed it on simply over tightened the screw and cracked the cap. Everyone we dealt with at Oliver was very friendly and professional, from the orientation to this follow up repair. We met some very nice fellow Ollie owners, as there were 4 other new trailers during our stay. We really enjoyed this short trip and are looking forward to a longer one in mid July.

[postquote quote=179001][/postquote] Ours is an ABCwater 16,000 grain softener. They are on Amazon. If I was doing it over I would get an 8,000 grain. The bigger one is heavy. I may still get the smaller one for camping and just use the large one I have for car and trailer washing. Mike

[postquote quote=179016][/postquote] Agree with Bill, I don’t think any cutting is necessary. Mine certainly wasn’t. You just need to get underneath to attach the brackets. Mike

We looked at a few in the plant and it appears the weather stripping is left of where the weep holes align in the frame for water drainage. I'm curious if Lippert confirms this assumption.

Jitters: Like John Davies I am a believer in the center-line mounting for the Andersen chain brackets. There are a number or reasons. The center beam is extremely strong and the line of chain pull is parallel to the long axis of the beam. No sideways element of tension, and no tension force being carried through aluminum welds, as is the case with the factory mounting system. Finally, you get to “double up” the mounting brackets, ensuring they will not move over time, as has happened to some with the factory mounting system. Is the center mount necessary? Probably not. I am not aware of any frame damage or failure from the factory mounting system. On the other hand you need a whole lot of tension, more than most people are comfortable with, if you want to shift 200-300 lbs of weight off the hitch and 1/2 of that onto the front wheels of your tow vehicle. I use the higher range of tension, and like the peace of mind knowing I am not going to break anything. I worked out the original center-line mount, but John Davies instructions and pictures are better than mine. While it is intuitive that the “wider stance” of the chains is better for controlling sway, it isn’t really true. Sway control in the Andersen system results from friction in the ball shaft cone bleeding energy out of the sway as the trailer tries to move side-to-side. The key thing is that the trailer, the whale tail, and the ball shaft all have to rotate together around the vertical axis of the ball shaft, against the friction resistance of the cone insert. As long as the chains are properly tensioned they will. The spread of the chains where they are attached to the trailer frame doesn’t make any difference. Hope this helps as you sort out your preferences. Best regards. John Shkor, SailorsAshore

[postquote quote=178959][/postquote] Have you ever filled the water heater and turned it on? If so, the “calcium deposits” you’re seeing are most likely coming from the sacrificial anode. If you’ve owned your trailer a year, it’s past time to drain it, wash out the deposits and inspect the anode. The anode should be pitted and look like it’s wearing out. This is normal, it’s just doing its job. Also remove the aerators from the faucets and inspect them. They are probably filled with little particles from the anode. I wouldn’t consider this a manufacturer problem. This is simply a maintenance issue. As far as your 25+ year old Airstream not having similar issues, if water heater maintenance has not been regularly performed (at least yearly), the anode is long gone and the heater tank is in danger.

Thanks for the great info in this alternate installation location. I wish a civil engineer was available to comment on this alternate location. It seems the pulling force from an angled chain would be more effective than straight back when controlling sway. Also one comment on the setup (beautiful instructions by the way and thank you)....you emergency break-away cable should NOT be attached to the same clip as the safety cables. If something happens with the cable connection then the break-away cable for the emergency brake would no longer be connected to the TV. This should be an independent connection to the TV to still activate the emergency brake when the distance between the trailer and TV increases in a mishap. Thanks! Greg Retired Navy Chief ARS: AB7R

I wish a civil engineer was available to comment on this alternate location. It seems the pulling force from an angled chain would be more effective than straight back when controlling sway. Also one comment on the setup (beautiful instructions by the way and thank you)....you emergency break-away cable should NOT be attached to the same clip as the safety cables. If something happens with the cable connection then the break-away cable for the emergency brake would no longer be connected to the TV. This should be an independent connection to the TV to still activate the emergency brake when the distance between the trailer and TV increases in a mishap. Thanks! Greg Retired Navy Chief ARS: AB7R

[postquote quote=178926][/postquote] Since you already have the bike wing rack, you might think about this mount. It’s the Lippert version aka “Jack-It”. I don’t think you can buy the tower alone, but you could think of something along those lines. Mike

Birds eye view of solar array.

Yep, an Ollie is the best travel trailer out there. There are a handful of better made expedition style truck campers or motorhomes, but they are a ton more money, sometimes four times or more. If you want to tow the best rig behind your truck, the Oliver is it.... I never get tired of seeing the reaction of a knowledgeable person who is viewing it for the first time. The ones that flag you down and run over with their phones out, snapping pictures wildly, are the most fun... John Davies Spokane WA

I have experienced low flow to the bathroom faucet, i’m assuming it was calcium deposits in the faucet cartridge, pumping white vinegar through the city water inlet took care of it. Steve

We had a problem with water flow to the toilet. We happened to be on our way to Tennessee for some upgrades when it happened. The service guys found hard water deposits where the hose connects to the toilet preventing flow. We have been using a water softener since. We’ve been to some remote campgrounds that I’m sure had some pretty hard water. Mike

I haven’t experienced problems yet myself, but I’ve read that hard water can become an issue in RVs much more quickly than at home - and I’ve learned the hard way when using campground water to wipe the shower down after use and not let dishes air dry, or you’ll get really bad water spots. I suspect that the reason hard water is more of a problem in RVs is a combination of really hard campground water and intermittent use; i.e., letting water repeatedly evaporate out of the lines, leaving concentrated deposits in the low spots of the lines. Those deposits then vibrate loose when traveling and end up clogging the faucets. And I’m sure some of it also comes from the water heater - which is probably why Truma is so adamant about owners decalcifying regularly. Mike and Carol have added a water softener to their trailer and seem to have had good luck with it. And as suggested above, I’ve read recommendations for yearly vinegar treatments of the water lines, which I may start doing. It shouldn’t be hard - just run a hose from the pump to a gallon of vinegar, pump it through all of the lines, and let it sit overnight. That’s not to say that debris from construction hasn’t been an issue for some. I’ve pulled plenty out of the filter on my pump and clearly in Foy’s photos above there are plastic bits along with what looks like a good amount of mineral deposits. Probably some of that is inevitable when dealing with plastic pipe and fittings, and some owners will have none while a few will have enough to cause problems - though that’s probably not much consolation when you’re taking apart your faucets. Additionally I don’t think that the screens on the pump and city water inlet are perfect at keeping debris out of the lines. Anyway, I agree with Mike that it seems premature to bash Oliver when someone hasn’t even looked into the cause of their problem yet, though I can certainly understand the frustration.

You can tell people until there are no words left and still the reaction is - seeing is believing! Welcome to our ( and now your ) world! Bill

Way Cool!! All the best travels.

Congratulations! Another Oliver on the road - enjoy! Mike

A couple of people have run into a similar problem - I'd check out this thread and also this one to see if any of the advice offered there will help. Good luck!

Congratulations! Wishing you many miles of smiles with your new Ollie.

Congrats and welcome aboard. We picked ours up mid-May and when we got it back to VA, a good friend of mine who owns and operates an RV service and repair business came over to look at our new Oliver since he'd never seen one. After about two minutes of looking at the battery tray wiring and then looking under the cushions and beds at the wiring, plumbing, insulation, etc. he was blown away. He said "this is a SERIOUS trailer." He was taking pictures with his cell phone of the systems the whole time. This is our first RV and we're sure we made the right decision too. Again, welcome to the Oliver family.

Hip hip hooray??? Mike

I really like the Level Mate Pro and iPhone app. No need to get out of TV, the app lets me know how many inches to get level, and riding up onto the Andersen leveler (banana shaped leveler) until reaching the perfect level. Very good leveling system, no bubbles needed.

[postquote quote=176829][/postquote] This what I did. I got mine off Amazon for a little over $100. I carry chocks, blocks, gloves, flashlight and an old towel in it.

I am very happy with my choice. GMC Canyon Denali with the Duramax 2.8 diesel towing Ollie Elite 1. I wonder if GM will offer the new 3.0 Duramax inline 6 (3.0) in the CANYON/ COLORADO?

Don: Here’s a list of what you’ll need for each fastener. The coupler, spring shackles, and EZ-Flex pivot will require two wrenches. A socket on the torque wrench for the nuts, and some other type to apply opposing torque to the bolt heads so they don’t rotate. This is critical for tightening the shackles and EZ-Flex pivot. I’d recommend standard chrome (non-impact) 6 point sockets as specified for each fastener. Bulldog Coupler: 3/4” socket and a 3/4” combination wrench. OTT says 80 ft lb. Lug nuts: 3/4” DEEP socket with a short (3-6”) extension. Dexter says 90-120 ft lb. Spring shackles: 11/16” socket for nuts. Use a 13/16” socket with a breaker bar close to the same length as your torque wrench to hold the heads. You may need a deep socket to clear the grease fitting. Dexter says 30-50 ft lb. EZ-FLEX center pivot (assumes at least one wheel removed): 7/8” socket with the short extension for the nut. The same 13/16” wrench you used for the shackles to hold the bolt head. Dexter says 65-75 ft lb. The chain hardware, auto, big box home, or farm supply stores all carry decent quality tools at competitive prices.

Update: Had time today to work on the plumbing and got to the problem. First, as big thanks for all of you who helped me trouble shoot! I started from the toilet and work back to the city water hook up. The shut off value for the toilet was clean with plenty of pressure, but the hose connection to the toilet was full of what I can only call plastic chips. A lot of them. (SEE IMAGE) I opened the toilet shut off value and used the hose to wash all the derby out on the connection. That fixed the toilet. Next the bathroom sink shower, I started to remove the four screws that hold the towel rack to the cabinet but stopped when I noticed it was clacked in place. Being a day from home I will do this when I get back to the shop. I look forward to seeing the cartage I have heard so much about. Next the kitchen sink, same thing - plastic chips. Cleaned and flowing better now. Last was the water filter on the water pump. Shut the value so no back flow and took off the filter trap. Full of hardened glue strings and bits of black plastic. (SEE IMAGE) How or why this got into my system is an mystery to me. I have had the trailer for a year and always used a water filter on the city water or water tank fill line.