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Lately, I've seen several posters "apologize" for questions. Not necessary. The search engine, though better than the old days, won't always give you good, nor current answers. While it's true that I've answered some questions many (dozens?,) of times, it's really not a big deal. What's a big deal is that your question is important. To you. Old timers who don't want to respond, won't. And with so many new systems in the newer trailers, your questions are helpful to all of us .

Can we give multiple likes for this post? 😊 So true, we all learn from each other.

I know I know, this thread ended quite some time ago. But it was quite interesting to me, so I figured I’d add one more thing . Our TV is a Tundra, Leer cap with the flip up side windows. Plenty of room for our gear in the past.. But we decided we wanted to lug a couple of bikes around, and working out a bike rack without the trailer in hand was unsuccessful.... so the bikes go into the back of the truck.. So I built a storage system into the back of the truck, with space for the bikes, and everything else. There are vertical slots for a folding table and 2 chairs. Street side has a deck 19.5” above the bed with storage for the camp stove and propane bottles, screen room, another chair etc on top. There is a hatch in it to access the area below, where the tools, telescoping ladder, shop vac, power tools, generator, etc get stowed. The generator is easily accessed through an opening next to the bikes. There is also a bait tray ( a plastic tub about 18”x 26” x 11” used to carry lobster bait) with a plywood top.. this gets filled with sea shells, fossils, shark teeth, rocks, pine cones and who all knows what else along the way. The top enables us to store things on top of it. All of this slides out easily to the tailgate with a boat hook. The big cooler slides under the deck behind it. The bikes, which were the cause of all this, back into the curbside of the bed standing up. You can see the plywood receivers I made for the back tires to help hold them upright, and they get strapped to the side of the bed. I can get our water jugs and other stuff on that side as well. I can have the whole contraption disassembled in about 15 minutes.. This is a prototypical project, we will give it a try this winter, redesign as needed next summer, rebuild it with more attractive material than CDX plywood and scrap lumber...

After a 10 week wait we took delivery and install of our ARE Z topper yesterday. We recently upgraded to a larger more comfortable, much more powerful TV and like stowing our bicycles, Gen, and other camping gear high and dry out of sight and out of mind. I had upgraded rubber bulb seals installed vs the cheap foam tape that flattens out usually within a few months. The foam tape when it flattens out can result in a potential topper bottom edge bed rail paint rub, a no go. Another tip, I had the installers secure the tape to the bottom rails of the topper NOT the bed rails to avoid any cleaning of adhesive on the bed rails should I decide to remove the topper temporarily. This is our third ARE topper over the years and I can report that the fit and finish and Iconic Silver paint match is spot on excellent. Totally worth the wait. Just a bit of feedback for anyone considering an ARE camper topper.

By asking questions I usually learn something new everyday. It usually is what I learned yesterday was wrong...

SeaDawg just to add to your post. I showed my Ollie many times in the last couple months most showing were between 1-4 hrs long and I enjoyed every minute of it, I have met the nicest people. I encouraged everyone to join the forum and ask questions. It worked for me when I started on the forum a great place to learn. A big thanks to all the Ollie owners and veteran Ollie owners

@DCdude sent me a PM asking me about apps that allow one to record travel destinations quickly and easily. The post that @topgun2 remembered is here, where I briefly posted about my notetaking strategy. As an academic, I have been taking notes for many years. I want my notes in an outline form where one can focus on the task at hand, with extraneous information still present in the document but hidden. I have used these outlines to plan and then write papers and grants, plan experiments, plan vacations, and also to both shop for my trailer. I currently use my Oliver outline to plan trips and to record information from research on items that I am considering purchasing for the trailer. I have used outliner software for many years now. Good outliners allow you to reorganize the contents (up or down, promote or demote), and have powerful search functions. The screen shot on the left shows what my Ollie outline document looks like. Some of the sections in blue (Power, Battery, Solar, Generator, Water Supply, Boondocking, etc) contain notes on these topics from my early research (before owning Ollie), along with links to websites, blogs, YouTube videos, and forum posts. Outliners work by having multiple levels, and on the right you can see how I expanded the Power, Battery, Solar, and Generator level, and you can see that several lower levels can be selectively expanded. Thus information can be hidden or revealed. Here are two screen shots from my Earlier Research section on trailers before I decided on the Oliver. When someone posted about a kitty litter box in an Oliver, I was able to find the solution I had worked out, but not implemented), in the Travel with Cats in the trailer? section, and posted it here. @DCdude's original post asked about recording information such as campgrounds and campsites. Here are screen shots from my Places to Camp section, showing how much info you can easily record via copy/paste. @ShallowGalrecently posted about a nice campground on the Mississippi River, and I put that into my list of campgrounds. So if you want to use try to use an outliner, what to use? Evernote and OneNote were mentioned. I have tried both, but neither were satisfactory for my needs. In fairness, I never gave them a full trial, like I have with other outliner apps, and I had been spoiled by more full-featured outliner apps. I just did a search found two recent websites that discuss outliners. The servenomaster.com web site describes what an outliner can do, and has info on a number of outliner apps. The zapier.com site lists what platform each outliner run on (Mac, PC, iOS, Android, Web), and lists some features, pros/cons, and prices. (They had the incorrect price for the software I use, below.) I have test driven many Outliner programs over the years, and for a long time I have been happy with OmniOutliner Pro, a Mac program. It is more expensive than others, but IMHO OmniOutliner is better than the others. I have used these outliners intensively for my work, so it was a good investment for me. There is an iOS version of OmniOutliner that syncs with the Mac; unfortunately, you have to buy the Mac and iOS versions separately. If you want to try OmniOutliner, I would start with the “Essentials” version for $20, which has fewer features than the Pro version, but probably fine for what is needed here. Mac App store link. A trial version for iOS is free to download; my guess is that eventually one needs the in-app purchase of either the Essentials version for $20 or the Pro version for $50. iOS App store link.

The front tires are removed, forks turned sideways. The bikes are beaters, so being lashed in fine.. not worried about scratches, just don’t want shifting gear in transit. The generator is easily accessed with the bikes and one chair removed, which would most likely be the case if I need it anyway, as we’d have camp set up. I can crawl up in there and haul it out without issue. We plan on using the generator far less than we did with our Casita and it’s single group 27 battery. I have the option to put the generator behind the cooler where it would be easy to rig up a way to slide it in and out and rework the stowing of other gear. As I said, this winter will be a trial run for us on many levels.. next summer will be one full of design, modification, and tweaking of the truck and new camper.

Oops!!! . . . . . . Thanks for pointing that out . . . . . 100 days would be awesome . . . . . . or maybe an Oliver powered by Mr. Fusion . . . . . BTTF fans will understand

Thanks for the replies. I got serious enough this morning to actually remove the old toilet and see what it takes to do the job. I thought that the toilet sat on a floor panel and the black tank was a separate unit underneath. I now see that the toilet sits directly on the fiberglass black tank. This should make the job a lot easier than I first thought. My plan now is to: 1. Pressure wash and completely sanitize the inside of the black tank. 2. install Natures Head and mounting brackets 3. Temporarily seal existing hole. 4. Try it out for a while and make sure I like it. If I don’t like it I will revert back to existing toilet. If I do like it I will remove the black water drain pipe and use fiberglass to completely seal up the black water tank and cut a new waterproof deck hatch to the side of the Natures Head and use that space for storage of extra toilet supplies. Everything will remain reversible if it needs to be removed in the future. Also, by removing the black water drain pipe it will make access to the grey water drain valve possible without having to cut a hole in the underside of the trailer again.

I've learned many things from you. Thanks for everything. Especially your sense of humor!

I'm a finance person, so familiar with Excel spreadsheets. Way back when I was in college (not so long ago second time around), I learned how to use Excel as a database, but since learned Access, which took some doing. Now that I'm retired, I fall back on Excel for planning. I just need to remember the data base functions to use it more effectively. I know, there are better tools in today's world, but I don't want to waste precious time learning new tricks, "old dog" that I am. And you don't want to know how many little notebooks of info I have laying around, the result of paper/pencil planning

That went quick. At least here. Thanksgiving on the road. A frozen turkey dinner, and a can of cranberry sauce, only trouble...no left overs. Stay safe and enjoy...

I apologize for apologizing, wait that wasn't me, my mistake, I apologize. Yep there are no stupid questions. And as others have mentioned, I often learn from some of the questions found here.

Sure, it’ll be a few days. One advantage of removing the wheels is being able to turn the handlebars, which means the bikes are occupying a much narrower footprint.

True . . But maybe that was my mistake, or it was a mistake that I found it?

Wifi passes even without the wifi ranger (we have gigabit at the house and home base, so it is faster to connect directly than via WFR). Also note you probably want a Log Periodic or panel vs a yagi. Yagis don't offer wide frequency coverage that you want - but many of the LPs are advertised as yagis. 600mHz band is key if you ever want to have T-Mobile service. Also for LP/Yagi you need to pay attention to wind loading otherwise the pole will try to weathervane. I am looking at a setback mount to prevent a crosswind from applying rotational force.

Not necessarily facts - perhaps a typo on the label? I suggest that you contact Toyota customer service, give them your VIN and a picture of your door label, and ask them to explain where your missing 200 pounds of payload went. If in fact it is wrong, they MUST send you a new replacement sticker with the correct information on it. I expect that a Toyota dealer would have to install it, to document the process. Have you asked on a Taco forum if anybody else has a “too low” payload? I am not positive, but I think your your Toyota Owners home page should show all relevant data like payload for your VIN. I tried logging in to check mine, but the site is down. Give it a try, see what it shows. https://www.toyota.com/owners/home Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

Funny you should mention that. I recall, as an inquisitive youngster, asking Dad to explain antimater. Wish I could remember his answer!

I vote for antimatter!

I think I know the answer, but just checking . . . . . . are RV fuses the same as automotive? And are they all the standard size (not mini)? Someone posted on FB group that Oliver supplies a fuse kit at delivery? Is this currently the case?

hours not days

You are amazing!!! We don't don't have plans, as of yet, to put a cap on our pickup bed; hoping our 1up rack will work with a dual hitch adapter and we can have a tonneau cover. Will know in a month or so (delivery December 7). If the bike rack doesn't work out, a storage solution, such as yours would make a great Winter project!

This is why good threads never die. Great layout and a tremendous example of a customizable approach to storage.

minus the additional loss for the inverter, which is needed to keep this running - not sure what the drain is for that

Can't comment on the dehumidifier although it looks decent. It will draw 3.9 amps on high and 2.33 amps on low. With the Lithium package, you could "theoretically" run the dehumidifier on high for about 100 hours (4 days) before your Lithiums were completely drained. Of course, you would never do this without recharging your batteries, but this unit doesn't draw that many amps compared to some things (like a hair dryer or microwave).

You should get years of great service with the new cap.

Looks awesome.

Looks great, good paint match!

Looks really nice!

But the "mistake" I made was how I found I was wrong...!

Better than learning from mistakes!

MattNan, we've lived on 200 watts solar, and 2 group 27 batteries for years. Furnace is the big hog for us. We had an inverter for awhile. It died, probably from lack of use, and we took it out of the mix. With 4 agms, watch your power consumption running microwave, etc. Otherwise , you should be golden. We carry a small (1000 watt) Honda to charge our batteries on series of days with no sun. It will not run ac, nor a microwave. It's just a gas-powered charger.

If I remember correctly you get about 5 gallons of propane in a 20lb tank and 7 gallons in a 30lb tank. The 30 is heavier and is difficult for some folks to lift over the fiberglass enclosure when full. Also, with 20lb you can exchange them more easily than a 30lb. With the 30lb you generally have to find a place to fill it. We also carry a 20lb in the truck for our fire pit and as general backup. We’re happy with the 30s, but could live with 20s. Agree with Sherry, solar is what really matters. Mike

In my experience - with adequate sun, I ran a coffee pot in the morn, a dc portable fridge, and the other minor stuff - for few weeks. Included a few days - here and there - move to new spot. The coffee pot really takes a toll. The MW would push it, With a 100w or so suitcase addition it may make the difference, One or two days of no sun would have put me in trouble. I have decided - a small generator is the perfect insurance for my tastes. But I haven't purchased one yet.... RB

We have traveled extensively through out the southwest. Our 2016 has the 320W solar and 4 AGMs and has proven to be enough to keep up with our needs. When boondocking we do heat water for coffee on the cooktop but we do occasionally use the microwave. Also, Carol will use her blow dryer every few days. Our south west camping includes west TX, NM, AZ (north and south) southern CA (Joshua Tree) and southern UT. The only time I had to pull out the generator (2K Champion) recently was last fall (Oct ‘19) when we were camping at Grand Teton NP. We had a 3 or 4 day stretch of cold nights and very cloudy rainy days. Furnace ran all night and the solar never fully charged our batteries. I don’t think that is something you will encounter in the southwest. Plenty of sun in AZ! We’ll be there the month of January into February. We spent last January in NM and AZ and had no issues with our solar keeping up. Mike

We’re going to miss Edisto Beach State Park. We’ve enjoyed our stay and we were happy to see a very nice looking Elite II at the campground and meet more of the Oliver family! The ocean is on the other side of the dunes in the second picture so you’re not exactly “on the beach” but close enough to hear the surf and take a nice long walk on the beach whenever you want. Many, many shells on the beach. The first night the no-see’ums were terrible and had us making a hasty retreat indoors. The next day they weren’t an issue because it was quite cool but they were back again today, a warmer day. The showers are convenient and clean, the grounds well maintained. We were able to pick up the free wifi with our WiFi Ranger so two thumbs up for that. The antenna picked up a good selection of television stations. Our site (#27) had absolutely no shade but it wasn’t an issue with pleasant daytime highs. Sites have electricity and water, no full hookups. The dump station is located off site, about 1/2 mile on the way out. I’ll happily give this campground an overall rating of “we’ll be back.” Be safe everyone. - Brian [And yes, we did vote early back home!]

Good Luck BILLATX, You will be fighting the payload limit of the Tacoma on almost every outing. Many of us have run into the same issue. And some have up fitted their TV with equipment to help alleviate the issue, only to eventually move up to a more capable TV. Give it a try with what you have, you'll figure it out. Never worry - there's plenty of us here on the forum to tell you what's best - 🙂 Have fun, RB

Thank you for the information on this thread. Much appreciated. We are picking up an Elite I in February. I am planning to tow with my Toyota Tacoma, but am concerned about my payload and tow limits. My vehicle is a 2019 Tacoma, 4wd double cab, longer (6') bed. My payload max (from the driver door jam) is only 950 lbs. My tow limit is 6,400 lbs. From the Oliver website, the Elite I's GVWR is 5,000 lbs, with a dry weight of 3,700 lbs. Tongue weight of "approximately" 370 lbs. My wife and I weigh 300 lbs combined which only leaves approximately 280 lbs for all cargo and the Andersen weight distribution hitch. I want to add a topper for more dry storage in the bed, but am seriously reconsidering that, given my narrow payload limits. I am fairly inexperienced with trailers, so any advice is much appreciated. Thanks again for the informative thread.

If you are looking for an app to record all sorts of miscellaneous information, I recommend Evernote. See www.evernote.com. The free version is quite capable. There are versions for all popular platforms, including WIndows/Mac/iOS/Android. There are also web clipper plugins for all major browsers, which enable quickly saving of webpages, or portions of webpages. Multiple notebooks can be created with unlimited notes in each. The search capabilities are good and keywords are also supported. Evernote is cloud based and capable of syncing to multiple heterogeneous devices. The premium (paid) version add capabilities, but I recommend first trying the free version. I have been saving info found on the Oliver forums in Evernote to be able to categorize useful information I might use in future.

Agreed. And, the tongue weight, unless you're carrying a huge generator on the tongue, is way too high. We have the bed rug in the ram (since 2008). Estimated weight, about 10 pounds. It's nice, but not as soft on the knees as a rubber mat, I'm sure.

The bed rug weighs next to nothing... don’t forget the tailgate piece... it saves my knees... I have the two separate.. but they sell all one piece as well... I’m also right at my payload limit when loaded with everything and the kitchen sink (ie: wife, dogs, generator, tools etc.).. tried an Anderson hitch with the setup and didn’t feel any difference..only added more weight.. so I prefer towing without one.. I also prefer to tow with minimal water in tanks... and air bags made a huge difference for my setup....Payload will always be a factor with a 1/2 ton truck... but its my daily driver and I love driving it... best truck on the market!

Surprised to see F-150 over payload on the Elite. Any idea of weight for cargo in truck bed and your tongue weight? I have 2021 F-150 Supercrew 4x4 on order to pull my Elite coming in May so no experience yet with TV. Appreciate feedback from those already on the road.

Update to an old thread. I am now running 42 psi which seems a decent compromise between tire temperature, tread wear and cushioning. I do notice a negative effect on fuel economy when they are not rock hard. Coincidentally, that value is the exact same as in my Land Cruiser LT 10 ply tires. The truck and trailer weigh about the same and that makes it easy for me to remember .... If you don’t have TPMS in your Ollie, run a higher pressure for a better safety margin. John Davies Spokane WA

Yes. And add some extra rv antifreeze, if you are traveling winterized. Alternatively, you can carry a few wag bags, or trash bags plus poo powder, turning the toilet into a luggage loo/bucket camping toilet.

I agree with BackofBeyond and Bill. Worrying and fretting makes you generate stomach acid, but it primarily wrecks the pleasure of a road trip. Most system failures that an RV shop would have to fix can be deferred until you get home - just do without. The furnace, not so much in December. Bring a small 120 volt AC box heater. The number of things that can fail and strand you is actually very small, mostly a blown tire, a blown bearing or a binding brake due to a grease seal failure. (If a brake gets contaminated with grease, it locks up; the only remedy is complete replacement of both brakes on that axle.) All these problems can be fixed quickly at any small town full service auto or tire store. You can find replacement fuses anywhere, but having spares is a good idea. Buy a trailer TPMS kit, if you haven’t already, and set it up the first night after delivery. That way you won’t keep fretting about the trailer tires and bearings. Be prepared, if needed, to camp in parking lots like Walmart, Cracker Barrel and Cabelas. Make sure your insurance has towing coverage of at least 100 miles. Bring lightweight snow cables for one axle of the trailer. The odds of needing them are slim but OTH you could get caught by an unexpected storm before you can settle down for a couple of nights. Most likely just having them in the truck will be enough to prevent having to use them 😀 You most definitely need heavy duty ones for your truck. Are you a Harvest Host member? Their “hosts” are great just in case alternatives to commercial or park campgrounds. Being farms, wineries, museums, etc, they would welcome an off-season camper and would probably have space for you... Just be sure to buy some stuff or go into the museum, or whatever. There is no camping fee, but you are expected to help them a little financially. That can get expensive, but less than a KOA if you are careful, otherwise you may end up thinking “where the heck do I put all this mead?” (HH breweries are a financial disaster for us.....) There are a bunch of Hosts along your route..... You may encounter places where your cell coverage is poor or non-existent. It is best to have two phones with different carriers, or, better yet, a gps rescue device so you can notify a relative of your exact location and what service you need, or even notify 911 directly in a disaster such as a heart attack. I really like my inReach. It works anywhere, even from inside the hull, and I can send unlimited free “I’m OK” messages and other prerecorded texts to my kids. It provides great peace of mind at both ends of the communication chain, which is what you are after, correct? John Davies Spokane WA

I’ve only had a trailer so I can’t comment on owning a class B. Maintaining our Oliver is pretty easy. If you are a do-it-yourself kind of person bearings and brakes are not difficult. I choose to go by my neighborhood RV repair shop once a year and have them to the repacking and brake checks/adjustments. My tow vehicle is also my daily driver, so maintenance on it is what I would do anyway for whatever I’m driving. I’m not 70, but will be in a few years. Hooking up our trailer is not much of a physical challenge. It does seem to me that a Class B with a toad would be two engines and drivetrains, two gas tanks and more to maintain. It’s probably more comfortable while driving if you can walk back to your camper and get in the fridge or whatever. I’m happy with a trailer that big enough to live comfortably in yet small enough to fit into some really good sites. Mike

I think the taco is the sort of truck you tow with a few times, make some posts about how well it does and how much you love it, then quietly trade in for a half ton.

We have a generator hook up on the front of the camper mounted in the right side front of the propane housing. It is wired through a transfer switch which is part of the cost. This will accomplish two goals. It will prevent two different sources of power coming into the trailer and it will prevent back flow of electricity into the power grid if you're plugged up also. Why would that ever happen, you ask. It probably would not, but let's say you were in a campground on a hot, muggy night running the air conditioner. The power goes off and you're told it may be off for a while. You go out and start the generator (forgetting to unplug the trailer) crank the A/C up and go back to bed. The power company is out busy trying to get power back on. Without the transfer switch, your generator will be happily putting 120 volts AV back into the grid with the potential of electrocuting some poor lineman working on the lines. The way we have ours set up is such that I can leave the generator plugged into the trailer. I made up a 36 inch cord that runs between the two. In some cases we have actually run the generator while going down the road. You can have the trailer cool if you want to stop for lunch or the night. These are a few of the benefits of having it. Other than being an extra expense, I can't think of any disadvantages.