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We used a piece of "parachute" cord. It happened to be bright purple. After that we put on a crimp-on 12 v electrical fitting. The one with the hole in it. Our hatch was self installed (just before Oliver made them standard). Ours has a place to put a small screw through the electrical piece and into the hole in the cover. The screw isn't fetched up tight so it can swivel. Also the cord can twist and not bind. One of the nuts holding the hatch on was loosened and another crimp on was added. After crimping the fitting we heat treated (melted) the nylon cord and as it melted it swelled so the fitting couldn't slide off. Without this tether I am sure the cover would be sitting on the edge of a back road somewhere. There might even be a picture on here someplace awhile back. My pictures are on another device and the Oliver is in a line to get the Dexters checked.

For sometime, my wife and I have been unhappy with sleeping on the cushions that come standard with Elite Travel Trailers, not to be confused with the larger Elite II, standard with mattresses. I purchased a single sized foam mattress but this too was unwieldy, not fitting either bed well. I had talked to other Oliver owners and was referred to Southern Mattress located in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. I contacted them and they indeed confirmed they would custom make a mattress for my Oliver Elite. My conundrum was how I could configure the mattress to access the components and storage areas under the seats. A full sized mattress would be just too much to lift and hold in place as I pulled out storage items, much less to try to work on a component (electrical, hydraulics, water, etc.). As I explained this to my wife telling her I wanted to split the mattress in half, she pointed out it would be very uncomfortable, sliding down in the crack. She said " split it where the bench ends, 1/3 and 2/3s. The crack will be at your knees and you will not feel it". I contacted Southern Mattress and they agreed to cut it where ever I wanted it cut. I traveled to Rocky Mount, North Carolina and found this to be a family owned company. I arrived in late afternoon and the owner took me to his home. There, we hooked up my trailer with electrical and water on a pad next to his home. The next morning I pulled my trailer to the factory and they began to make my mattress. With each step, they asked me to approve the work, include changes I wanted made, etc. they measured the trailer, made the pattern and asked if I wanted extra room to be able to put bed linens on the mattress. The pattern was a good fit for the 2/3 - 1/3 combination. In short, I was very pleased with the mattress. I selected a 5" firm foam with another layer of soft memory foam. That night, I had the best sleep ever in my Oliver Elite. I also had a mattress made for the smaller dinette/bed. I used the single sized foam mattress that I had purchased earlier in the year. Southern Mattress did not object to this. Again, they cut the foam to the 1/3-2/3 combination. Each matress was covered in a premium quality quilted cover, fire retardant and straps sewn in to make moving easy. The mattress was double sewn all the way around to reinforce the straps. By noon, I was on the road, headed home. That night, I slept for the first time very comfortably on my new custom-made mattress. It now slides over easily and stores on top of the other matress while I access the storage and component areas. If you are interested in a quality mattress, custom made, they now have patterns for both the Elite and the Elite II. They can custom make you a mattress and ship to you. They do not press the mattress in a roll. Rather they box the mattress and ship it to you. Southern Matress Company 1812 Cokey Road Rocky Mount , North Carolina. 800-227-8701 Below are pictures of my mattresses in my Oliver Elite. Coy

The first two delivery day pics are at the Oliver office, the second two at David Crockett State Park where we spent five nights after pick up. The extended stay including a couple nights rain and one snow put our new trailer and the four of us through the tests! Weather permitting we spent our time outdoors but the rain and cold had us inside....we have it all worked out and it is “cozy.” We love the trailer and look forward to many, many adventures. Safe travels to everyone. Brian

Here's a pic of Mainiac's mod which I copied after he posted it back in 2017.

I agree, a 10 amp fuse is way easier to find in convenient bulk kits, and will blow just about as safely as the 7.5 amp fuse. I would not worry to much about that difference.

7.5 amp is maybe a little harder to find in a store.... I personally would not bother changing it, unless you already have a 7.5. The 10 will blow just as fast if there is a short circuit in the wire or furnace, which is its only purpose. Having a “too small” fuse would possibly be bad, since it could pop during normal operation. As an example, the factory was putting 1 amp fuses in the Natures Head toilet circuit (for the fan) and these would blow after a while. The NH factory specifies a 2.5 which does not pop. But it is hard to find, so I use a 3... John Davies Spokane WA

Hard to separate out specifically as I had ordered a couple of extra hangers and the bulldog coupler swap. Total for all was $200.00 For the coupler I think they allowed a $55 credit. So the majority of the cost was labor for doing the drilling and install of the coupler and the hangers etc. I also found it very convenient as the coupler was already in place when we went into the pickup center. On E-trailer the coupler current costs rounded to the $ are: $63 - For the 2" $85 - For 2 5/16" Keep in mind, couplers on E-Trailer are UN-Drilled and the factory has to drill for the positions they need...so that's part of the labor. Hope that helps. Craig

How do you know it should be 7.5 amp? If you found that in a manual, then change it. A fuse kit at an auto parts store should have an assortment of fuses for your tool kit, or just the fuses you might need. If you don't have one get a kit with a fuse puller in it. Just makes life a little easier when laying on the floor with a small flashlight in your teeth. Good luck.

Good morning Hobo! We stayed section F, about as far from the lake as we could get and I use a short wire cable to secure my propane access port. I believe you were just down the road from us. I have already put 10 or 12 of the cables in my OTT to give away at the rally to anyone interested. "the dog house" will be in the same spot.

We have a Partner 2-burner. The quality is unbeatable but there are two issues that I think make it a problem: 1) it requires high pressure lp, so if you want to run it off your Ollies propane you’ll have to split off a line before your regulator; and 2) it’s very hard to get a low simmer flame on it. If neither of those bother you, then get one without hesitation. But if they do, then I think the Camp Chef would be the better buy. For us, I’ve found that the low pressure issue isn’t a big deal since we’ve decided it’s easier to just use canisters rather than pull out hoses for our grill and stove. The simmer issue bothers my wife more than me, and I believe it’s more a problem with not being able to see the flame in bright light than not being able to get a low flame out of it at all. Having said that, the truth is that as it turns out, we don’t use the parter stove that often. Generally I’m outside manning the grill while my wife prefers to stay inside and cook on the stove.

Jo, from some of your other comments on other threads, I'm guessing you boaters. We are , too. And, weve camped in tents, vans, and a variety of motorhomes. The Oliver ( and we have the little one), is both big and small enough for everything we want to do on two week to three month trips. Cozy and warm on crummy weather days, it lives really big on the outside. Inside, we have everything we need, in a compact floorplan. It's been a great 12 years traveling with our Ollie in the US and Canada.. Looking forward to the next 12. I would say, if you plan to camp in buggy areas for extended periods, a good quick deploy screen room would be nice. Sherry

We have had fifth wheels, Scamps, tents, and a Class A motorhome before the Oliver. We have been to more places, and been more comfortable in the Oliver than any of the others. (give you a good deal on the Itasca). For some reason it is just more fun.

I live about an hour from Guntersville, I have land for anyone who wants to arrive a couple of days early to boondock. Of course no charge for my Ollie Family.