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Stopped at rest area along I-10 in FL panhandle, a Casita pulled up beside me and two gentlemen from Arizona asked to check out the Oliver. They seemed to be quite familiar with the Oliver story, and were quite impressed with the tour. Oliver sightings are rare, it seems.

This is for Townesw, Sorry for late response, I've had some family issues keeping me busy... I attach my Grade 70 1/4" chains to my trailer frame with two bolt type anchor shackles as in this pic: Oliver has changed the design of the trailer frame since mine was built (2015), but shackles will also fit the new design as well. I used a quality, American made shackle. There are a few out there but I like the Crosby line of shackles. I also chose the bolt type pin over the screw in pin as I feel the bolt type is far more secure. https://www.westechrigging.com/shackle-bolt-type-crosby-g-2130-038.html The hole that was bored in the aluminum tabs welded on to my frame are 1/2" diameter. I really wanted the pin diameter to match the hole but that meant using a 7/16" shackle which is too large to fit through the chain link and also too big to fit side by side on the two welded on tabs. So I went with a 3/8" shackle with a 2000 pound WLL. BUT... Crosby shackles have a 6:1 safety factor, meaning the breaking strength of the shackle is 12,000 lbs., which is very close to my G70 1/4" chain (3150WLL x 4 safety factor=12,600 pounds). I also packed out the shackles with stainless washers (see pic) to tighten the gap between the shackle throat and the tabs, so there is very little to no slop. So that's where I'm at. The pin diameter of the 3/8 shackle is .44" and I'm hoping to sweet talk a friend of mine to turn out a bronze bushing (7/16 x 1/2) to make up the difference. It's not much but I believe it would add some extra strength to the system by distributing loads evenly around the tab holes. Hopefully I'll never put it to the test! This has been a good thread lots of good ideas. Knowing you've done the best that you can to be safe on the road is a great stress reliever! Regarding this, as far as I know, the WLL is the first thing you need to know, but not the last. You also need to know the "safety factor" or "design factor" of the component, as all of the laws I have read talk about "breaking strength" of the component and not its WLL. I don't understand why this is. If someone else knows different, I'd sure like to know. Dave

Ditto on our house manifold plumbing system. Eliminates the big hot water loops, even though our max is 50 ft from the water heater. Possibly more useful in a home than a small trailer, though. We spent an hour or so visiting with owners of an xp v1 at a Fairbanks carwash. The camper was beautifully manufactured. And really expensive. I think they had just about every option on the list, so way over base price of $150k. They were living fulltime in the camper, which I don't think I would want to do. It was really trick, though, from the folding steps to get in, to the quiet power lift of the pop top. No wasted space, ingenious storage, but honestly felt smaller inside than our elite, to me. And a smaller bathroom, shower, and grocery storage area. The v1 owners were planning the big Arctic circle to Patagonia trip, and that big Dodge 4 x 4 and especially the camper were made for just that kind of expedition. They certainly had an easier time on the Dalton than we did, though got every bit as muddy. Unfortunately, I've seen reports that Wassman's company closed early this summer. The website is up, but all the videos are gone. Forum doesn't load. Last fb and instagram posts were in April. I feel bad for him and his wife, and their workers. And, any future owners caught up on the mess. Their niche was tiny, and their product, though technical and fantastic, probably just too much of everything, especially the pricetag. I'm also still loving my Ollie, almost 12 years old. We make the mods we feel are important. If we go to Patagonia, we'll fly in, and rent a camper. Which, we're actually looking at doing in the next few years. I'm loving the idea of camping there, but not the idea of dragging a camper that far, and back... Sherry

Ollie was at Deer Creek State Park, near Midway Utah.

9300 ft Silverton CO

A small Western Oliver Rally, Santa Fe NM.

A small Western Oliver Rally, Santa Fe NM.

Headed to Mount Pisgah on the Blue Ridge Parkway for cooler temps. Great weather for camping and hiking! Skinny Dip Falls From the BRP

<p style="text-align: left;">We departed from the Rally. Went home for a few days and started west. I made a small wager with my wife that we would see 3 Olliver's on thos trip besides ours. She said we would see 1. So far none. Here we are today at Cedar Pass Lodge Campground in the Badlands.</p>

We could not go to the Lake Guntersville rally because we had a family gathering at Jalama Beach county park campground, west of Santa Barbara, CA. This is a really nice campground, right on the ocean. We had our Oliver, my sister had her Casita, and other family members rented cabins. On our way home we stayed in Snow Canyon State Park, near St. George, UT. A really fabulous park.

A couple of nights at Pendleton Bend, a COE on the Arkansas River. There is talk of flooding next week do to the storms in OKLAHOMA.

Headed to the 2019 Rally with my two favorite camping buddies - Karren and Magnum. Sunset on Lake Seminole, FL. [attachment file=Karren and Magnum.jpg]

We camped at Shenandoah Crossing Gordonsville VA earlier this week while visiting family. It was a fine camping trip. While camping we visited Montpelier, James and Dolly Madison's home: Also visited Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home:

On our way to the rally. Spending a few days here at Daingerfield State Park near Texarkana, TX. [attachment file=0276C1B6-9B51-4D48-A6AB-2559A90A13BB.jpeg]