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Here’s my favorite item for under $20, an Aukey night light. We got it for $17.99, but it is currently $19.99. We get up to pee at night, and when we first got our Ollie we left the inside courtesy lights on as a night light. We quickly discovered that this produced too much light, especially in the sleeping area. We then tried a battery powered candle on the dinette, but it also produced too much light, and it chewed through batteries at a prodigious rate. I then discovered the Aukey night light. Instead of batteries, it is rechargeable via micro-USB. With our overnight use on the dimmest setting, one charge lasts at least five days. The brightness is adjustable, and the reviews said that it goes very dim. This was one of the main reasons I bought this, and I am quite pleased with how dim it goes. It also has a built in loop and comes with a carabiner to hang from something, and a magnet to attach to metal surfaces. We take advantage of that magnet. It comes with small circular metal disks with adhesive backing. We put one of these adhesive disks up on the pantry wall above the dinette. In this location, no light goes back to the sleeping compartment. It is hard to take a photo which accurately reflects the low light, as a phone always overexposes dark situations. The magnet appears pretty strong, but we don't drive with the light on the wall. Taking down the night light is part of our Departure Checklist. There are other features that we have not taken advantage of, including that the light floats and the light can display a variety of colors. Finally the controls are simple and intuitive.

I am adding clarification to point out that the response below is directed at the request by Hobo, who has an LEII. These part numbers provided have no applicability to an LE, the original subject of this thread. The Dexter axle owners manual is available in the university components section. Page 81 has a table of bearing and race p/n for each axle model. Industry standard p/n for the 3.5K axle are: Inner bearing cone/race: L68149 / L68111 Outer bearing cone/race: L44649 / L44610 Timken combines both the cone and race into a set. Their p/n are SET17 and SET4 respectively. On page 79 there is a table of seal p/n. The 10" x 2-1/4" brake size uses Dexter p/n K71-303-00. This number cross references to National/Timken p/n 473336

It is the Girard GG750 according to the owners manual in the University and the length I have learned from Sales is 16' on the Elite II.

The Bruders are definitely interesting, but I’ve never figured out how their kitchen arrangement works for both inside and out, height wise. We seriously considered importing an Aussie trailer before we bought an Ollie. But then we ran across some owners with bad experiences and no options for a remedy - structural issues that couldn’t be fixed without sending the trailers back to Australia. Prior to that, we were looking into a heavily hyped teardrop that looked the part in every way; but as it turned out, the owner was taking big deposits left and right without any skill in how to actually produce them. Fortunately, in both instances we found out before parting with any money. Both companies later went bankrupt. Just goes to show that the basics really count. There’s a lot of eye candy out there but always ask two questions before you buy: one, is the company stable, experienced, reliable, and do they stand behind their product; and two, do they make a product that is at the most basic level solid, durable, and thoughtfully designed? If you can answer both of those questions with an unconditional ‘yes’, then give them your money. The details will work themselves out. But if the answer to either question is ‘no’ or ‘no idea’, then give it a hard pass.

Actually, for serious Aussie outback, I like everything about the Bruder, except the 100k+ price tag, of course.

The dual fuel, inverter champion we got from Costco is quieter than all the Honda/Yamaha inverters I've run into at campgrounds. I know you've been mostly looking at those, but I see quiet brought up a lot in your post so I thought I'd mention it. It's a little bigger than the 2200 series you are looking at, but it also can power the air conditioner at Gros Ventre (6000-7000') without a problem and no voided warranty to be able to run propane. It's not showing in stock now, but it pops in and out of stock as they get shipments. https://www.championpowerequipment.com/product/100204-3100-watt-dual-fuel-inverter/ Here is the super-secret link to Costco, it will show you a bear if it's out of stock: https://www.costco.com/Champion-DUAL-FUEL-2800wt-Running--3100wt-Peak-Digital-Inverter-Generator%2c-Electric-Start%2c-RV-Ready%2c-Parallel-Capable%2c-CARB-%2526-EPA-Certified%2c-Low-Decibels.product.100284958.html?bvstate=pg:2/ct:r Champion has been super-responsive to emails, and sent me the high altitude jet for free in case we need to run gas at elevation. If Champion stops being super, then it goes back to Costco. For us, the generator is pretty low-risk as we only need it for AC or brief periods to run the microwave or convection oven - we are 12VDC only when boondocking otherwise and the solar keeps up so long as we aren't running our laptops hard on a cloudy day.

Correct.

We have an older unit with a manual system. It takes under a minute to deploy or retract. That said, and with arms, we still bring it in overnight. There are plenty of sailboats out there that heel over and scoot through the water with less fabric out there. And if you hear yours start to luff during the night, you best be getting up. Hate to think of the Oliver heeling over, and 'scooting' through the campground.

I'm honestly surprised they went with the 16'. The cost difference is substantial. Assuming the quality is on par or better than the Dometic, good on them. Thanks for the info!

Yep. Less air space in the tank so less negative pressure. If the valve can't open, or is restricted, it's just like not having an adequate vent near the sink trap. The shower drain on the other hand is so close to the tank, and directly connected to the main vent stack, that it doesn't occur there.

Maybe you got our build date! We were scheduled for February 3 delivery, then had a call from Rodney Lomax asking if we'd like to bump it up to December 7! We've lived all our lives on the West Coast, but not until retiring have we managed to get out and see the beauty our country has to offer. Perhaps our Olivers will meet out on the road in 2021.

We certainly agree about living versus visiting the beach. I can't tell you the number of times my wife and I have talked about buying a second home on the beach only to slap ourselves back to reality. We "need" another home like we "need" a hole in the .......... And, living at the beach full time without the mountains, trees, motorcycle roads, hiking, etc. is just simply not something we want to do. But, for a vacation, we find the beach, the ocean, the food , and the different life style very refreshing and relaxing. Bill

You won't find any production trailer manufacturer willing to make one-off modifications this extensive. Oliver and others have limited to no engineering capabilities, instead relying on component suppler services, like Dexter, for this expertise. For an Elite, you're talking about a complete sub-frame redesign.

Welcome David. Your trailer will not be a unit to be lonely in. There are plenty of people that will talk to you about your camper. They will follow you into rest areas and restaurants to ask about the Oliver. They will stop at campgrounds too. The Oliver is a great unit to see our country in. From the pink granite at Acadia, to the Blue Ridge, to Natchez Trace, to the tumbleweed of the west you will always feel at home in the Oliver. The pillow you put your head on will be the same one you had last night. You can wear different color clothes everyday and no one will notice. You made a good choice. See you around a campfire.

One of the "problems" that you will encounter is that there are very few alarms of any sort that fit into that hole under the dinette. So, unless you are willing to live with the hole, or, live with gaps around the hole, or, patch or cover the hole, you are basically stuck with what's there. Bill

The odds of finding an Oliver, in good shape, is great. It is the odds of finding a used one at all is what is slim. And if you find a used one at all you better be prepared to respond and act immediately. The word is out about the quality of the Oliver, and the wait time for a new one. Do not expect a used one to be a super bargain. They seem to hold their value well, and maybe even appreciate.

Welcome to the Forum and the Oliver family, Ask away - lot of good feedback available from the members. RB

Welcome. The Elite shorty like ours is most comparable to the Bambi you looked at . Lighter weight, wider range of tow vehicles. Good luck in your search.

Thank you everyone that contributed to this thread. If we order I'm sure we'll be happy with the the Girard (especially in that it can't be deleted from the build). But perhaps today's posting about a dead Dometic awning illustrates the benefits of a simple, sturdy, high-quality manual-crank alternative -- a simpler awning that gets the job done with less risk of failure...