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July 18th is the official day Joy and I will take possession of our new Oliver, #501, and hopefully become contributing members of this impressive group of owners. To give you a little background on ourselves, we purchased an Airstream 28 in 2011 which served us well as our vacation home on many wonderful trips. We are not at all opposed to dry camping, but we primarily stay in State and Federal campgrounds. The Oliver first caught our eye two years ago. We paid special attention to the ones we saw in campgrounds and we began reading what we could about them. The intensity built and one Friday in April we arranged to see an Oliver in person. We were so impressed with the quality, livability and the apparent nimbleness that we were on the phone with Rodney Lomax the following Monday. We digested what we learned from Rodney and the next morning the order was placed. Our maiden voyage will be about 2 1/2 months. The furthest destination will be Door County, WI, then drift SW to Bentonville, AR, meandering to the SE and then back to SW Florida by mid-September. It is important for us to get back to help FSU football get out of their slump. Once our curiosity turned to genuine interest, we have been following the impressive posts on the forum. We would like to thank each and every one of you for providing your input to the concerns of others you have yet to meet. Even though we have a certain amount of experience, we have found your input to be very informative - thank you. We will be on the road in a couple of weeks and rather than just admiring your Oliver, we may stop by to say hello. John and Joy

Mirna, for its type that Lance isn’t too bad, you could probably get a well optioned one for $40,000, well below the base price of the bigger Ollie. But they are really apples and oranges, the build quality, materials, warranty, resale value and above all customer service are nowhere as good. It does have big tanks, which is good, but that means extra weight to tow. The slideout is a very bad thing for a number of reasons, the optional solar package is too small and the twin batteries are only adequate. The rubber axles and tires are budget items, For boondocking you need ample solar and battery capacity, a composting toilet, enclosed tanks and waste systems, rugged suspension, and ample ground clearance. The Ollie excels at this sort of camping. The Lance could work, but it isn’t really meant for this. No offense, but nobody here is going to recommend a conventional mass produced low quality trailer over a high quality hand built Oliver legacy trailer, which is intended to last decades and be passed onto future generations. I would be surprised if that Lance lasted five years of moderate use. Have you looked at an Ollie in person? That is the first thing you should do at this stage, a half hour of poking around will answer so many of your questions. A F250 will pull either trailer without working hard, no worries. If buying a new one, consider waiting for the brand new 7.3 liter gas engine, it sounds as if it will be great. Welcome to the forum. Fill out your personal details, and tell us where you want to boondock. John Davies Spokane WA

Having picked up our Ollie on 6/24 and spend a week heading home to Michigan I spend a great deal of time cleaning the Ollie and removing the bugs. I have been a fan of the Starbrite Marine polish for years. After getting it clean I applied a coat of this product to the trailer and was extremely pleased with the results. This stuff removed any stains left from the trees and leaves on the fiberglass, and shines as well as any of the other products in this post. Here are some pictures but its overcast here. I think this is as good as the other products in this post and it just give you another option. The application is easier than paste wax. sorry about the pictures Doug

Bob, I bought the HD 2500 and was looking for a hitch. The truck of course had the larger hitch receiver so I went with the 2 1/2 inch model, I Purchased one of the aluminum drop hitches and upon installation I found that the larger receiver hitches did not allow for me to mount my Rock Tamers. Nice hitch but I sent it back, and bought the 5 in drop BW with 2 5/16, 2 and 1 7/8. I tow a boat also that is heavier than our elite 2, and has to be adjusted lower for the boat. Have a utility trailer also, so I can use them all. This is a great hitch love the fold away feature. Picked up our Ollie #482 on 6/24 and with that hitch and the duramax you hardly know its there. The deal breaker was the rock tamers I consider them a must have for the Ollie and my fiberglass boat. A friend used the insert and the 2 inch receiver and it was just a rattle trap. I don't think you will be disappointed. Doug

I have the BW hitch had it for years, no problems, I only have the 2” and 2/516 the 1 7/8 aren’t used much any more, they were the norm at one time now its the 2’’ I like the BW it’s adjustable for different heights and the nice part, the ball mounts fold under the hitch, keeps you from banging your leg when you aren’t looking.

Although I use a Andersen WD hitch when towing our Ollie, I have used a tow & stow for about 2 years for a variety of other towing needs. I am extremely pleased with the B&W product. I also use a Hitch Vice to lock the draw bar to the TV. There are many variations of what JD refers to as a "slobber stopper", this is just the American made brand I have used for the last 10 years. Mike

Per Bill's (Topgun2) recommendation I just switched to Duragloss products this year. I just finished inside and out last week and the trailer looks great. Time will tell how it holds up. Mixed 4 parts 923 to 1 part 952 in a spray bottle and did the inside using a microfiber cloth. Only took 15 minutes for the inside. The outside 501 is just like waxing with any other wax except I did wipe everything down a second time just to get a polished look. So far I am very happy with it. [attachment file=20190318_114259(1).jpg]

I have used Meguiars Marine wax for over 10 years on Casita's, Escape's, and now the Oliver. I have tried several other products but have always gone back to the Meguiars. https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-M6332-Flagship-Premium-Marine/dp/B0000AY60S?th=1