Leaderboard

FYI - the Natchez Trace parkway (Just outside Hohenwald) is a perfect place to perfect your towing expertise. Its a 45 mph max, no commercial traffic, little traffic at all, great road surface, plenty of turn outs, rest spots, historical stops, turn around entrance and exits, AND its a beautiful drive. RB

Congrats Bill! We are also soon to be Texas Oliver Owners with a mid-February delivery date for a LE2.

Jim here you go- David

This looks like it would work well mounted on the existing oliver bumper/bike rack with different hardware: https://www.gowesty.com/product/made-in-usa/4335/front-mounted-2-hitch-receiver-for-gowesty-plate-steel-bumper I can't find the plate dimensions but it looks to be 4 inches.

Ha! In the constrained space of our regular sized (with raised top) van, we've learned to make dual use of many spaces in the van (stuff shuffles from bed to front seats etc. as we go from driving to camping etc.).

Yes, we have learned to make use of soft duffels for clothes, bike gear (helmets, cleated shoes, locks, etc.), and basically anything that can reasonably be held this way, for just the reasons you mention. It only takes a minute to shift ballast around to move from "night mode" (i.e. with back seat folded out into bed with bedding on it) to "driving mode" in our standard size van. We have a few different sizes of duffel bags on hand.

Worth noting that you can always use the microwave itself for some storage. In our camper van, we tend to put the dog food in there along with a few other things such as bags of homemade granola or such. Yes you need to remove these things when microwaving so it's helpful for these things to be few and easy to shuffle around.

Dan, I'm sure a few of the FT'ers will reply. We have spent a few months at a time in ours and enjoy it immensely. Were we to FT - only a few things we see that put a kink in the enjoyment - not an any order - laundry - moving around you are always looking for a good laundromat, inclement weather - more than a day confined is hard for me to do, and lastly to Susan's point - I really enjoy working around our farm, keeping Bee's, gardening, etc.. And I like to keep my training schedule - local pool 3 times a week, run, bike: on familiar routes. Out on the road I don't usually get any pool time, and I end up blowing off the other two.... I'll have work on this. However, we travel to see family, have no issues being around each other for long periods, and have enjoyed the vagabond lifestyle (in month or more stints) for our entire married life. We sold the house, and eliminated a good deal of the other responsibilities and fixed expenses a while back - in anticipation of leaving for long stents. Within the next year we plan to substantially increase our time out exploring the world and our largest issue will be putting the farm in longer term slumber. Which is really just securing equipment, renting out (or whatever happens) my hives, and locking up the Barndominium. As for the rest , The grass and trees can keep growing, the weeds will do what they do, and the wildlife can have it all back. We do plan to spend some time here - not sure when - winters - not, The rest is all part of the adventure. Enjoy.

We finalized our order for the Elite 1 (shorty) and have a delivery date of 2/2/21. Looking forward to spending some time camping comfortably and exploring our beautiful country. Thanks so much to all of the active contributors on the forum. I look forward to meeting you on the road. Stay healthy and happy trails - Bill

Lexi - Thanks so much for getting on this with such a great attitude. Pick a place, pick a date(s) and they WILL COME! Bill

This is the standard pin, it has a very slight and rough 45 degree bevel on the small end: I used a file and a belt sander to make a nice tapered bullet contour. I polished it with 360 grit sandpaper after reshaping it. Optional: the holes in the ball mount did not have much of a taper: I used a 1” drill bit plus tapered polishing stones to open it up and smooth the inside edges where the pin will slide past. You only need to do the left side, the one you normally insert the pin from Now it slides in with much less fussing and swearing. John Davies Spokane WA

Hey Ollie Owners! My name is Lexi Griffin and I work in marketing as an Intern with Matt for Oliver Travel Trailers and I have been looking into spots to add another rally to our roster! So far I have found that the Salt Lake City KOA is a great option and I am looking into the Jellystone Park in Larkspur, CO as well as the RiverRun RV Resort, also in CO. The idea is to have it in the fall, most likely in September time (but so far the weather in CO and WY may be too cold). If you want to suggest a campground, the sites need to have at LEAST 100 RV sites, preferably 150-200 would be best so we can get as many Ollie's together as possible. The weather at the site you recommend shouldn't get too cold or hot for the time that we stay there.

I got an RVS wired camera installed 0n/in our camper van about five years ago and it's been great. It stays fairly clean, being up near the top of the rear side (we have a raised fiberglass top) and yet is easy to reach and wipe with a cloth when it does get dirty or fogged, the image is great quality and it gives a pretty decent image even at night. And they used a standard video connection (unlike some other rear view camera vendors) so you can use their screens if you want or you can, as we did, feet it into a stereo/amp unit that has a big screen and have it set up to automatically flip to this video feed when the vehicle is in reverse, and also manually turn to this video at other times. They do of course also make wireless systems. They are the choice used for a lot of fleet vehicles for a reason I think.

WiFi booster is the only useless option in our Oliver. Not worth boosting most campground WiFi. Love our Oliver but could have done without that option.

Amazon yourself a couple of the cheap fork mounts - there are two sizes - (axel width) make sure you get the correct size. Mount them to whatever platform you want - 2x6, 2x4, aluminum tubing, etc. . Then with similar sized platform at the rear, you can can use eyelets, conduit straps, whatever you want, and tie/secure the rear wheels to the platform - bungee, rope, or those neat padded wire ties, again - what suits you. The bike frames are now parallel - The front is secured, the rear is secured. Were it me, it would be between the beds, rear wheels facing the front of the trailer. Use the same cool padded wire ties to tie the front wheels (removed to mount the forks) to the rear wheels - perfect storage . HD has the wire tie thingies in multi colors and lengths. You can figure out how the secure the bikes from moving around - fore and aft, I know what I use, but, that's me. Or you could just use padding to keep mm in place.. But they will move forward, trust me. I found out one trip.. I secure a portable ac/dc freezer/fridge between our twin beds, secured from sliding forward, plugged into a DC outlet. This works well for traveling. RB

On their website they show how they allow for access to items in storage under the bed. It seems there is some sort of pivot point about 2/3 of the way down that allows for getting under the bed.

BTW, lol @ “cave back seat.” No kidding! It’s so big it has its own atmosphere. Snort. 🙂

Excellent idea. Right now at “home” I put stuff in the oven. That’s how often I “cook.” Hah!

Another thing I've found helpful, when camping in tiny van campers abroad, is to use soft duffle bags for coats, extra clothes etc. They can squish in anywhere. In our truck bed, I can put a partially loaded duffel on top of some bins. In Iceland, camping in a tiny van, I had to move some stuff from bed to car seats at night. It took just a minute, so no big deal. (If you actually find out you run out of space. Which I doubt.)

Wow... Ford did a nice job with that setup...I really like the look of that truck... For me thats the right size tire for the wheel well not to big not too sm ... appreciate a follow up if any issues arise with the tires...I think thats the size I’ll go with when i replace the dealer installed ones on mine.. Yeah they’re not cheap!... a little extra ins. Probably not a bad idea ... Gotta try and stop the money suck from my trailer and truck!...🤣hahaha.. stay safe ... see ya on the road after the winter hibernation... Thanks ‘Patriot’

I thought the same thing when I saw the Advanced Rv Bed, Susan

my thought for retirement is to fulltime in an elite2. would like some input...pros/cons...facts and fictions of that kinda lifestyle... will look for a few home bases to spend some time... please advise w/ thoughts? 10-q dan

Thanks! I am getting the basket (comes with the other package stuff I am getting, connections and stuff). I think I WILL use the basket -- just my personal pref and all. And I am looking at covers for the TV bed (lockable, secure as I can make it, regardless of cost, may hire an armed guard FT -- kidding!), and also trying to get a list going as to "essential" TOOLS for a non-modding type who nonetheless wants to be able to fix "minor" things herself. I was married to a Gen Contractor so I am okay with SOME "DIY" basic stuff, but not into voiding warranties and I know my limitations. Screwdrivers, truck items (safety-related, etc.), the right set of wrenches, stuff like that . . . I will want definitely want to bring (or acquire) for my toolbox. (I will search the forums for "basic toolbox items one should have" and see what-all comes up). I am very into minimalism, no worries there. BUT, at the same time, I don't wanna get rid of stuff I might actually need and use. Thank you so much again, for your help and info!

I find I hang very few clothing items; I roll and store them in nylon packing organizers. Rolling creates fewer wrinkles and I think is more compact. It's also easy to find things as opposed to having them folded and stacked. Other Elite problem areas for me: 1. The Elite does not have the pantry; if you aren't dependent on an oven, you could opt to delete the microwave and have a pantry above the fridge.; perhaps carry a small toaster oven in the pickup 2. The Elite galley counter has no space between the sink and the cooktop and thus, fewer drawers under the counter. 3. Overhead cupboard space is proportionately smaller in the Elite; there is no overhead cabinet in the bathroom 4. The Elite does not have an exterior access basement. For full-time, in an Elite, you will certainly need a well designed and organized tow vehicle storage solution. Definitely downsizing, unless you're moving up from tent camping. I'm sure you'll get a lot of good advice from other Elite forum members.

I wonder if this isn't what Advanced RV reclining beds are based on.

Thanks for the dimensions, John. Your frame looks better than the one from the Oliver factory 😜 I was hoping to find some solution that I could home game, even if it looks ugly. I've asked my sales rep if I could purchase the rack without the receiver bolted on. Assuming they get back to me and are OK with my request, I'll need to find some type of solution. Thanks again for the insights.

Philip Andrews has made some posts on Facebook about the new brackets, with different gussets. I can't find his photos at the moment.

We carry extra clothing, coats, boots, etc. In bins in the pickup bed, as well. Three bins fit nicely under the Elite big dinette, if you keep it made into a bed all the time, as we do. One bin is extra bedding and blanket. One is often clothing. One is misc daily stuff, vacuum, etc.

How much do people actually use the outdoor shower? I would like the option to at least drain it and have a cutoff valve for Winter use.

Nice going, Bill. February will be here before you know it. We too picked up our Oliver in February and two days after delivery we headed to St. Augustine for a week. Keep an eye on the weather - particularly if you are headed to Hohenwald from the east (this involves crossing the Great Smoky Mountains). Bill

What took you so long? lol Kidding aside, congratulations on soon becoming an Oliver owner!

Great way to spend Thanksgiving . . . . . we're picking the last of the tomatoes . . . . . still have carrots and green onions in the ground. Beginning to put the garden to bed for the winter. I'm going to miss the fresh vegetables!

We’ve got a few blue potatoes from the garden and we’ll pick the last of the Brussels sprouts to bring with us before we push off. Grab some Turkey someplace, rotisserie chicken, something like that.. Thanksgiving at David Crockett in a new Oliver with plenty to be thankful for...sounds kind of perfect to me..

You have a few days on us . . . . 32 days and counting. Look for our Elite II, Hull #699. It will be the one without the TV antenna 😀

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...

Crickets ... 🦗 I hope this idea isn't dead.

And, rv antifreeze is $2.50 at Walmart, better stuff $4 at the auto parts store this week. Cheap insurance.

Hi Lexi, thank you to you & Oliver! As a quasi event planner in a previous life, I learned to capitalize on someone else's legwork. My suggestion is to find out where other RV groups hold their rallies & go from there. We're heading west next year & hope we can work this into our itinerary!!! Chris

I don't own a Ollie yet, but very, very interested. I would love to come see some Ollies and meet some of you great people. Larkspur, CO (Jellystone) is centrally located, with great major highway access. I have been to the renaissance festival there. Fort Stevens is also a beautiful place, with some great history around it.

I don't own an Ollie yet, but I will by next June, so I'm in! I don't have any experience with good, or even poor, rally sites, but just let me know when and where, and I'll be there! Thanks Lexi!

Glad to see this - Two events in one year!!

Excited at the possibility of a Western Rally so we can meet other Oliver owners, face to face I'll be thinking of some suggestions for a venue.

Things are much better for all when you leave out the middleman. Yes, he needs to make a living, but it shouldn't be at the expense of the manufacturer nor the buyer. Thank you, Oliver, for selling direct and having pride in your product.

This is one of the main reasons we sell direct. The constant feedback from our owners keeps us on our toes and we continue to improve how our trailers are built. Manufacturers that sell through dealerships have less (or barely any) communication with the actual owners that buy their RVs. Dealerships don't always have the intentions and care of the manufacturer either. They can be misleading or not prioritize customer service like we do. I have been with the company since 2013. I can honestly say that there are a lot of features and components on our units that came directly from our owners experiences. Some did their own modifications. Some made suggestions. The user feedback is important to us. In the end, our goal is to build the best camper we can make, back it up with great customer service and want owners to be safe and enjoy their experiences in them. You are purchasing a premium product... we know it is more expensive than some trailers. You deserve a premium trailer and a company that cares about it. We are not always perfect, we are human, but we will do our best to make it right when problems occur. We want to thank everyone for the comments and belief in us!

Our Oliver LE2 is stored in along side our house and is subject to rain, oak leaves, pine needles, bugs and whatever else Mother Nature throws at it in Lutz, FL. It is a constant struggle to keep it clean and off-site storage is very expensive. And until the finance department approves a storage solution, I’ll just have to try to keep up with the maintenance. Florida is called the Sunshine State but we also receive a fair amount of rain. After a 5” rain one day this summer, we found the curbside bench cushions to be wet. I found some ideas about the cause of the leakage in the Oliver forums and determined that cause of the leak was dirt and crud blocking the weep slots. ScubaRx/Steve offered some detailed thoughts about cleaning the window tracks which included the weep slots. So I tackled that project which included removing the window seals covering the fixed glass track. Then removing the sliding window track seal and finally removing the screen and it’s seal. With those items removed I was able to clean the tracks pretty well. I have attached a poor picture of the 3 tracks of the window frame and the weep slots. And in an effort to be clear, the picture does not show the slots very well. The weep slots are between the outside of the window frame and the fixed glass track and between the fixed glass track and the sliding glass track. There aren’t any weep slots to the screen track. So if the weep slots become clogged, the water overflows into the sliding glass track and the overflow runs down the inside wall. This can happen to any of the windows except the door window. The Norton’s had told me about draining the the window tracks by placing a finger at the bottom of the weep slot and creating a capillary effect to drain the window tracks. The window weep slots must be fairly clean for this to work. It’s very effective if you are around your Oliver when it rains. And now my helpful tip. I cut pipe cleaners in half and place one in each weep slot. The slots between the outside and middle tracks line up, so push the pipe cleaners through the outside track and into the middle track. It requires about an 1-1/4” of the pipe cleaner to reach the middle track. I find that the tracks dry out much faster with the pipe cleaners than without. The pipe cleaners also travel pretty well as we didn’t lose any on our last camping trip which included some interstate driving. We hope this proves useful for someone.

I took my EII back to Oliver due to a non-working furnace, and had a few minor issues addressed. Other than the drive time to and from, (left the unit there) and the actual waiting for the time slot, I was extremely pleased with the service. Ritchie and his team took care of my issues. I doubt any other RV manufacturer would be as responsive. One thing that should be considered - for the premium price we pay for our Oliver's, top notch customer service should be a given, and I am pleased that is the case.

Now you know why we are purchasing an Oliver and it's not just because it's the classiest trailer in camp, it's because of service. I wouldn't want to have to bring my trailer back to Hohenwald just for service, but I would if need be for something like that. They know what to do and have everything there to correct the problem, I personally wouldn't want Joe Blow RV Repair taking my Oliver apart and trying to make repairs. trainman

Some comments about the WeBoost cellular booster and the WiFi Ranger. We are camped at Paradise campground (NFS) on the McKenzie River in the Oregon Cascades. Our Verizon phones have zero to one bar, and my Jetpack has zero to one bar. With the cellular booster they have three bars. My WiFi Ranger is connected to the Jetpack. I can now sit by the river and get, quite honestly, mediocre connectivity. Without the WiFi Ranger I would have mediocre connectivity, but only at the dinette. I like the combined power of the WeBoost cellular booster and the WiFi Ranger. We do not choose our campsites based on cell signals. This area is gorgeous. We had a great hike this morning and saw a bunch of waterfalls.

The item forward is a rear view camera. This is the same system we installed about a year ago but I put it into the truck instead of the trailer so we could use it all the time instead of just when camping. The transmission range is on the order of hundreds of feet instead of 18 inches so it is available inside the trailer as long as the truck is close by. The system is powered by the truck so I installed a timed switch to cut power to the wi-fi several hours after the ignition switch is turned off. It is reactivated each time the truck is cranked.

We were going to do this but the chair kept falling into the hot tub. <grin, sorry>