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While this has surely been a dynamic discussion, it might be a good time for us all to refresh ourselves on the Forum Guidelines. Welcome to the Oliver Forum, a great place for Oliver Travel Trailer owners and future owners to interact, share knowledge, solve problems, and most importantly, to develop friendships. Respectful and considerate responses help build this community. You’ll find a wealth of experiences here, and many owners willing to share their experiences. Have fun, but please keep others’ viewpoints in mind. Respectfully state your point, share your information, or ask your question. Keep it casual and friendly. Reread your post before you hit submit. Is it helpful? Thoughtful? Sometimes, communications here may be misinterpreted, because the written word just doesn’t carry the visual clues of face to face conversations. Should you believe a post is a little ill-mannered, consider the poster might be trying to be helpful, but isn’t able to put his or her words together the way you might. Forums work best when our skin tends to be a bit on the thicker side. Keep having fun out there, enjoying your Ollies to the max !

As do I - As someone that actually built EV trucks (Commercially) - back when all we had were lead acid storage - I've nothing but respect for advancing the cause - and nowhere in my post did I mean to imply disrespect - in fact I said for me it would be stupid. But - If it seemed so, I apologize. Were Elon to design a truck platform that would work for me, that would be fine - but what has been presented is just not it. I don't see it as polarizing - simply a randy discussion of ideas and opinions. I'm not a luddite by any means - I was - attempting to use tech to do things way before it was feasible - try getting a commodore 64 to do some system control over the land lines - long before there was a WWW. SO moving on, I look forward to EV advancement, new storage platforms, reducing carbon use, (which means re investing in modern Nuclear) and perhaps a little more truth in advertising by the media. One can hope. RB

Congrats!!! Envious as we do not pick up till July 6th! Happy Thanksgiving!

Oliver offers the WeBoost Drive 4G-M Cellular Signal Booster and the WiFi Ranger Sky Pack as options. The WeBoost Cellular Booster will improve the signal on your phones if you use it correctly (see below). The WiFi Ranger has two inter-connected routers, the Sky router on the roof and the Go2 in the cabinet above the dinette, and it provides a number of useful features. First, it creates your own local network, which is especially useful if you have multiple devices. Logging in to your network is easy, as your devices can remember the password to your local network. Second, the rooftop antenna can boost the WiFi signal from a campground, a Starbucks, or a truck stop, from as much as a mile away (see post by RVGeeks). If your device (phone, tablet or laptop) is connected to the WiFi Ranger, you would have a much stronger signal and faster speeds than if you connected your device directly to the WiFi source. Third, the Sky router on the roof allows you to access your WiFi signal outside the trailer, as much as 1000 feet away. This allows you to surf the web at the picnic table or by the river. When inside the trailer you should connect to the interior Go2 router. The interior antenna for the WeBoost Cellular Booster is mounted beneath the cabinets, above the dinette table. It is important that phones or hotspots be close to this antenna, about 18-36 inches. The signal strength decreases if you are too far away. A lot of users use the WeBoost Cellular Booster and the WiFi Ranger together, along with a mobile hotspot. Verizon seems to have the best cellular coverage in rural America, and we purchased a Verizon 7730L Jetpack as our hotspot. In the past, we placed the hotspot on the dinette table, a good distance from the WeBoost interior antenna. After setting up camp, I would turn on the WeBoost, the WiFi Ranger, and the Verizon Jetpack. Next, I would have the WiFi Ranger connect to the Jetpack. The WiFi Ranger has a USB port, and the instruction manual says that one can use a cable to directly tether the WiFi Ranger to a mobile hotspot or phone. This post describes how I did that; it was pretty easy. I wish I had done it sooner. First, why bother? There are a number of good reasons to tether the mobile hotspot with a cable. (1) The signal between the hotspot and the WiFi Ranger is much faster and stronger over a cable than through the air via Wi-Fi. (2) WiFi connections break periodically. We all see this with our devices, where they have lost connection to WiFi, and we have to re-connect. This happens in the trailer, where the WiFi connection between the hotspot and the WiFi Ranger breaks. I find this out because my devices can no longer see the internet, and I need to use the WiFi Ranger Control Panel to reconnect them. These breaks in connectivity do not occur with a wired connection. (3) The WiFi Ranger, when powered on, automatically connects to the hotspot. I no longer have to log on to the Control Panel to do this. (4) The WiFi Ranger has something called Multi-WAN Dynamic Mode (support page and YouTube video). This allows you to connect to a local WiFi network, perhaps the campground WiFi, and the WiFi Ranger can use both the local WiFi and your mobile hotspot, deciding which to use depending upon which is currently faster. Campground WiFi can be notoriously slow, but at some times of the day it might be faster than your hotspot. This can save on the amount of data you use on your hotspot. (5) The battery on my Jetpack is getting charged whenever the WiFi Ranger is powered on, albeit a minor benefit. WiFi Ranger has a support web page and YouTube videos. I have found their customer support very responsive to email inquiries. To tether my Jetpack to the WiFi Ranger, I bought a white 10-foot USB-A to USB-C cable from Amazon. USB-A is the common USB connection that has been around for years. USB-C is a newer type connector, and I need that because my Jetpack has a USB-C port for both data transfer and for charging. Your hotspot or phone could have a different connection port, and you would need a different cable. I plugged the USB-A end into the side of theWiFi Ranger Go2 router, which is in the cabinet above the dinette. I ran the cable along the back of the cupboard until the center of the cabinet, then under the rubber mat in the cabinet and out the grommet that has the cable for the WeBoost interior antenna. I then wrapped the cable around the window, behind the frame that holds the window shades. The 10-foot cable was the perfect length to reach the center of the dinette table. I decided I did not want the cable dangling from the grommet above the dinette. Although this is not necessary, I bought some white adhesive clips from Amazon to secure the cables. It gives it a neat appearance. Finally, I put white Velcro on the belly band above the dinette, and black Velcro on the back of my Jetpack. That way I can keep the Jetpack off of the table, as other things often need this space. Best practices for using the cellular booster. Some advice on properly using the cellular booster. After you turn on the WeBoost you should briefly put the phone in airplane mode, and then turn off airplane mode. This forces the phone to let go of the distant cell tower with the weak signal and to now look for the closest “cell tower,” which is the WeBoost. Similarly, if you were using the JetPack in the tow vehicle, you should power it off and then back on after starting the WeBoost. If you have been out hiking all day, your phone will remain connected to the distant cell tower, and you can get it to connect to the WeBoost by cycling into and out of airplane mode. I tend to make very few phone calls when camping, but if you are camped at a location with very poor cell signal the booster works well when seated at the dinette. To improve your ability to make and receive phone calls I suggest you set your phone to use Calling Over WiFi. I think most phones and providers can do this. At my work, the cell signal is very bad, but with calling over WiFi I can get calls. In your trailer, if you have the WiFi Ranger connected to the cellular booster you can get calls throughout the trailer as well as outside. WiFi Ranger Control Panel. You should make it easy to connect to the WiFi Ranger Control Panel via a web browser. On a laptop, you can save it as a bookmark for quick access. On a phone or tablet, you can use the Add to Home Screen method to save a Shortcut Icon to your device.

The regulator on the Oliver is rated at 175,000btu. You can add up the btu on all of your propane appliances to see how much you need. Fridge - 1500btu, Heater - 30,000btu, stove - 10,000btu... And that's it. 55,000btu plus or minus. These are all aproximates obviously and if you add another 55,000btu for a fire pit, then the 175,000btu regulator that the Oliver comes with is more then enough with lots of extra room. The life expendency of auto switching propane regulators is mayby 2 years and they can be found locally for under $40.00

You never know abour February weather in Hohenwald. We picked ours up , about the same date, great weather. Though chilly, jacket or sweater weather . Definitely, keep an eye on weather.com. it can also be really crappy, same week. We wish you many miles of smiles, and fair weather for pickup. Love our little 2008 legacy I Sherry

It will be ready on Feb 17th......Gonna wait and see what weather is like so we don't drive over in a snow storm or anything....then head south to the BEACH:)

I like the tension in this thread. Good thoughts on both sides. I also like what Tesla is doing. I have a Tesla dealer in the neighborhood and see lots of them on the road. A Tesla truck is appealing. Electric vehicles have impressive performance. I am a long time Audi owner and now have an Audi S3, so I also follow what Audi is doing with their e-tron, looks impressive. But, for towing my Oliver I need fueling flexibility. Some of the places we’ve camped were literally in the middle of nowhere and I was thankful for a small rural gas pump. I don’t want to have to change my travel plans to find a charging station. I will buy an new truck after the new year and it will be traditional. Maybe when it’s time to replace it there will be enough electric vehicle infrastructure to make an electric pickup an option. Mike

Thanks for that, Overland. I am sure the Cybertruck can work for me. Not necessarily for everyone, but for me: I can power it for free, or very little, on my home solar, for daily driving. Big bonus, there. I'd rather charge my truck, than give my excess power back to Duke Powe for cents on the dollar. I can supercharge at many places, along my accustomed routes, for a reasonable price. Far less than gas, even at today's low prices. Per mile. Even towing, figuring the dismal x results of 50 to 60 per cent of range. I'm sure, with the capacity of the truck, the range will be better, towing, than the model x , where even my little 2008 elite I behind an x approaches max. Elon Musk thought his design would be polarizing. I didn't think it would polarize our little tight knit group. Sorry for that, but I'm a renewable energy enthusiast, and an ev enthusiast. Sidebar: my great grandfather in southern Minnesota was a trailblazer, probably one of those guys others called crazy. He adored my tiny little Czech great grandmother, Fanny. Back in the day, there were no plans to electrify the farming township, so he built his own generator and battery house system, and he had the first electric house in the entire farming township, for Gg Fanny. (According to my dad.) Even after the REC brought electricity to the rural area, Great Grampa kept their lights on with his separate system, for another several years. Dad said it was because the house was wired for DC. I don't know for sure, as I never remember meeting them., even though they lived good long lives. Great grampa died when I was 3 , Fanny a few years later. Probably true. Great grampa also invented a chain drive gutter cleaning system for the dairy barns. Awesome for my dad. Mucking stalls was never a favorite job of his. Great grampa's partial fail? First guy in the community with an automobile to go to town, mostly to church. In the spring rains, the road out was a muddy mess, so gg Robert had to harness the horses to the Ford, and they dragged the car out. Small price to pay, dad said, for the great difference in other seasons. We all have differences, and different tolerances. I totally get that. I like to think that I'm channeling maybe a little bit of great grampa Robert. And, my dad, who drew outlines of regenerative braking, when I was young. Before dad's death, we had so many interesting conversations on evs. I wish he could see today's vehicles. He'd love the advances. Sherry Ps, yesterday my dad's birthday. This is all very meaningful to me.

In terms of my Oliver, my favorite smartphone app is Dometic’s Thermostat Control. This app requires replacing the thermostat with a Bluetooth compatible version. My wife gets up early in the morning to turn on the heat, and then goes back to bed. I figured that the with the Bluetooth thermostat she could control the thermostat from the comfort of her warm bed using the app on her iPhone. Here is a video overview of the thermostat. I contacted Dometic customer service (customersupportcenter@dometic.com) to ask which model to get. I told them that I had a Dometic Thermostat model 3313194, and they asked for the brand and model of the AC unit. I told them a Dometic Penguin, model number 936000724. They replied that I had model number 641935C751C0 (I think this is the capacitor part number), and thus the part for a Bluetooth CT thermostat replacement is 3316255.000 for white and 3316255.011 for black. Based on their response, it sounds like there are a number of models. Email correspondence below. Dometic emails.pdf I purchased my Bluetooth thermostat from Panther RV for $77 with tax and shipping. It was easy enough to swap out the thermostat, with only three colored wires. One piece of advice: Remove the fuse before starting the project. Don’t ask me how I know this. The iPhone app works great. Actually, it is easier to use than the wall mounted controls. If your travel partner is the one who gets out of bed to adjust the thermostat, buying and installing this would be a thoughtful Christmas gift. Prospective owners might want to see if Oliver could install a Bluetooth thermostat during your build.

My niece, the city girl, while visiting the lake, wanted to know what all the noise was, I didn't hear anything, upon inquiry, it turned out it was - as she coined it -"nature noise"

Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Yup. I'm in. Sometime in 2022, I'll let you know how it works.

Scott and Debi, great news! I guess Bill is quite persuasive.... Happy Thanksgiving! Mike

Mr. Big - I was more than happy to show you "Twist" and am still amazed that you allowed me to bore you for so long. Congrates on the order. Just think of all those Christmas presents you can now get that are Oliver related. When do you plan on taking delivery? Bill

That thing looks just like what I always envisioned a tough truck should look like. I even have a picture I drew that looks almost exactly like it. I was six at the time.

I’m guessing that your trailer has the optional generator hookup on the front, which is why you have two 30a inputs. The one on the side is correct for hooking up to shore power though I guess that either is fine. The one in front is placed to be convenient for a generator either in the back of the truck or in the optional basket on the tongue. There are two common reasons that your interior sockets might not be working. First is a tripped breaker on the outlet under the dinette. So first try pressing the reset button on it. If that doesn’t work then check your surge protector display to see if it shows an error. It’s possible that the new outlet could have been wired incorrectly causing the protector to shut off. You’re correct that the heat is propane only. The AC is shore power/generator only and the water heater is either.

The good news is the Oliver is on wheels for a reason. I don't have to stay in Montana. We don't stay in campgrounds very often so none of the closures really matter to us. I know you wanted to visit The Breaks at one point. While its fantastic at various times of the year, it and many places like it can be life changing in the winter. We like to go up late December early January and watch the smaller 100+ elk herds bunch up. Sometimes we're lucky enough to have a shoulder tag for December. I've stopped counting at 800 and figured there were at least double that. I've heard of a group in Eastern Oregon as big as 6000. The game preserves of the world are ok, but put yourself in the middle of them all in a natural setting with deer, antelope, big cats, wild dogs and sometimes even bears in a warm winter, it feels like you're in the middle of a great migration. Snowmobile in yellowstone, hot springs in Idaho and New Mexico, skiing anywhere, hiking the parks in Utah and Arizona, rafting in Moab, fishing and stone crab season in Feb. when people from Florida think its cold! Winter camping is literally endless depending on what you like to do. I'd highly recommend it. As for dumping, thats the magic of the composting toilet. It is not technically raw sewage until you mix liquid and solids so you can dump anywhere once you've dried everything out sufficiently. We always carry an extra primed and ready container for a composting toilet, the hardest part is keeping the full one warm enough to compost. Between the two though even if we don't dump it, we can get well over a month. As for the liquids, it's no different than taking an Andre The Giant sized pee in the woods! I don't cary trailer chains. I keep two sets for the pickup but rarely use either. I expect the Oliver to be the best tracking trailer I've ever owned so I don't anticipate much we can't get through. I've towed a horse trailer with 6 horses through 16" of snow getting into The Bob during an early season storm. You'd be surprised what vehicles can do nowadays and as long as you're not doing anything silly, your trailer will just follow your tracks.