Leaderboard

I think a topper/drawer setup like what Landrover has is probably the most practical solution for most owners. Just put the bikes behind the trailer. I go back and forth all the time wondering if that wouldn’t be a better setup for us. But in the end, there just isn’t anything as versatile as a Leitner rack, provided you don’t mind things getting wet. Nothing else that I’ve seen let’s you load up as much stuff in as many ways and still have it relatively accessible. Here’s ours, with a front runner rack and 200w of solar on top, 2 side mount storage boxes, propane, CO2, and a custom rack in the middle for Hardigg cases. I’m also carrying two bridging ladders, four sand tracks, an extra spare for both the truck (enormous) and the trailer, portable winch, grill, gas firepit, chocks and blocks, plus some firewood. The only thing that would be a pain to get to is the 2nd spare, which is strapped to the front of the bed between the storage boxes. The photo is from the middle of the CDD, which we ran in 4 1/2 hours, to give you an idea of how strong the racks are and well secured everything is. It’s a tough rack.

I really like your setup. Those minimalist Yakima Boa mounts are my favorite. Your picture reminds me of my trailer setup from about 20 years ago, when I could still ride a bike.... there is a kid’s Trek in that pic. Do you worry about high velocity water getting blasted into your headset bearings if you should encounter a thunderstorm? Are they pretty well sealed? I like Trek bikes, they usually know how to make them attractive. I have a neat older Trek hybrid with Nexus 8 speed internal hub, which is very slick, but that geared hub is super high maintenance. I dare not get it wet.... which is not a problem around here. 😬 What model are yours? John Davies Spokane WA

Sit. Stay. Good dog! 😊 Get more cell data so you won’t feel cut off. Cancel your TX reservation. Stay where you are until the weather settles and the roads dry entirely. They are predicting an inch of snow in the Cumberland Plateau, which is laughable from my persective, but people in TN do not know how to drive on it and don’t have the proper tires or mindset. You certainly need to stay off it. Do not rush - relax, take a deep breath, get your Ollie looked at by Service when the roads dry out. Ask them to walk you through some of the things you are most worried about. When people are tired, or overly anxious, or simply in a brand new situation, they make mistakes, so just chill out, do not rush ANYTHING. We are here to advise and answer questions, but you need to do your part to remain cool. John Davies Spokane WA

I really like Overland's setup - but it doesn't work for our situation. I went with a Leer top. I can store my road bike (or any bike) out of the weather. Plus I have a place to store almost anything we need. Endless possibilities on how one sets up their storage and hauling setup. And with another rack on top - my kayak and other water craft have a place to go. I think it all comes down to personal preferences.

David - I wouldn't worry too much about the weather. I picked up my Ollie in February 5 years ago and even though there was a cold rain the day before (about 4 inches of the stuff) which made some areas fairly muddy, all was good. Your delivery is inside and the guys even hook everything up for you. Normal highs are around 50 for this time of year with lows being around 30. Yes, fronts can move through, but real chances of really bad weather are very slim. Bill

I’ll be picking up my Ollie on 3 Feb and staying a couple nights at Caddo Lake State Park in NE Texas on my way home. I haven’t been camping there before so we’ll see how that goes. I’ve been wanting to check that state park out for years so now’s my chance. There are some National Forest Service campgrounds near where I live on Toledo Bend Lake but the amenities are very limited, i.e. no bathhouses, no electricity, no dump stations. Of course you’d usually have the campground to yourself and lots of shade from the pines and a beautiful lake view and only 2 bucks a night with the geezer pass!

This is my current set up. Leer topper. Decked system storage, drawers are very deep holds all camping equipment. The champion duel fuel is mounted to a separate platform which is pinned to the deck system also carpeted which make it easy to slide around on the deck system. Not sure if there would be room for bicycles. There is plenty of room for other items. I am also considering in the future a topper lift. This is four electric lifts at each corner of the topper which will lift your topper several feet off the truck bed for easier access. The company also offers canvas panels that can be installed to use the area is a camper.

I am getting OTT to come HERE Mon. I will leave Tues AM.

Doesn't matter what it is - most coffee makers, toaster ovens, space heaters run 1500 - 1800 watts max - -for some period of time - and that is a good amount of amperage - "fuel" drained from the tank. Resistance appliances are energy hogs. Use them sparingly if you are on solar - in sketchy sun light. On shore power - have at it. We managed several weeks on solar - no problem. (ran a portable freezer off the inverter the entire time) Power management. I actually enjoyed the challenge - and I carry a decent stove top perk coffee pot.

Safety breakaway wires are necessary. But, very rarely used. I towed thousands of miles with my dad, without ever needing them. But, when you do, you do. You're fine, going 30 miles to Hohenwald, to check it out. Check your connections when you hitch up. The bulldog is pretty much foolproof, imo. If you are hitched, have the collar lock on place, you're golden. You can't lock the collar if you're not hitched properly. At least, I don't know how you can screw it up. Don't think I could

Another reason for me to be apprehensive of Oliver. The solution Bill provided is spot on, BUT totally and completely NOT acceptable to need to give it. The connection and solution you were provided by Oliver would be illegal in California, and as you figured, defeats the purpose. one of the things that you should not do is what you were told as being ok. Do not connect the emergency brake breakaway cable to the safety chain. Forum, this is a $60,000 vehicle. Why this solution allowed by Oliver? That cable should be manufactured, assembled, at delivery to fit the tow vehicle, or the tow vehicle info should be collected and the cable prepared prior to delivery. Sheri. You are going to be fine. You see issues that do not make sense and ask questions. Enjoy.

What you need is something like THIS. Simply attach the big hook end to you truck and the other end to your existing "breakaway cable". However, this entire length should not be toooo long nor tooooo short in that you want it to not drag on the ground nor do you want it so short that you can't make turns without it activating your trailer brakes. Note that this "thingy" does not help maintain contact between your truck and the trailer. Its purpose is to apply the brakes of your Ollie in the event the Ollie becomes detached from your truck so that the Ollie will not continue to roll down the road without you. It is more than likely that Tractor Supply has one of these in stock and either the guys in Service or at virtually any trailer/camper shop can adjust it properly. If it were me, once I had one of these extensions in hand I'd look for a fellow camper who looked like they knew what they were doing and ask them to install it for you. Bill

At this time, ropes, hoses, electrical (I know not a good combo with Wet...) and other "Utility Stuff" all resides in the drivers’ rear basement. At this time, my only change would be to build a shelf to keep "Electrical" above the "Wet Stuff", maybe adding a slider below the shelf so I utilize more of the basement, and not have to reach in so far to get something that has shifted. Laundry in bag in basket in front closet, along with wash supplies, and we still have room on the closet floor for "Stuff". We have vowed not to let the Ollie become like the Home Based basement, where "Family Treasures" reside for the (adult) Kids to "Claim & Remove"... after we are gone.

I believe this one will fit as well (Panasonic FlashXpress): https://smile.amazon.com/Panasonic-NB-G110P-FlashXpress-Infrared-Removable/dp/B008C9UFDI/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2CIG994XT7R3 I misplaced my storage box estimate though so I can't confirm.

The contents - In a plastic bag - to the closest trash receptacle/container. About every three weeks when in use. Love my Natures Head "honey" composter.

Klein Tools RT210 Outlet Tester, Receptacle Tester for GFCI / Standard North American AC Electrical Outlets, Detects Common Wiring Problems - - Amazon.com Or similar. Usually less then $12. I use this to verify the AC power pedestal is wired correctly. You may need an adaptor or two. Then plug your Oliver into the appropriate receptacle. You have no need for additional protection. The Progressive system does the work. The display will inform you of voltage, amps, and any errors. This works for me very well. RB

The standard EMS is perfectly sufficient. In fact, if you were looking at an external unit, you were probably looking at a Progressive Industries EMS, which is exactly what Oliver supplies, just the built in version. If you want to make a small investment that might help you diagnose electrical issues, then I’d suggest an inexpensive circuit tester like this, or better still, a digital multimeter like this. Neither are required, but if you ever run into electrical problems, they’ll definitely help you find the problem.

The Breville Mini is the only one I know of that will fit. It’s 1800 watts and our experience is that cooking something for 20 minutes will use 30-40 amp hours.

I’ll be picking up my new OTT on 3 Feb so I guess I was the one who took your old pick up date. The weather shouldn’t be too bad for me as I’ll be heading to SE Texas. It’ll still get a little nippy during a night or two I think. I guess I have you to thank for me not having to wait several more months for my new Ollie!

Unfortunately, all of the toaster ovens on the market right (that I know of) now are too big to fit in the cubbies either over the dinette or kitchen. We solved this by finding a older one at a garage sale. Warming pizza or making toast is no problem. However, unless I'm on shore power, I never "bake" anything. Bill

I'll put together a list. For some reason, a couple of the links for some of the parts on the McMaster Carr site aren't working.

I just looked at your forecast. There is a travel advisory for Monday. I'd just stay put, if I were you. Call Oliver on Monday morning. I know you're running out of data, so I'll text you.

I have a WeatherTech folding hard cover and a home built bike rack mounted over that. Plenty of storage underneath for all the stuff that we carry. And the rear crossbar of the bike rack can be slid forward or removed so I can fold up the bed cover when I need full access to the truck bed. The bike rack framing is T-slot extrusion from McMaster Carr and the fork mounts and rear wheel cradles are from Amazon.

My method of storage self-limits "squirreling". I like oft used items to be easily accessible and don't want to have to empty out a cupboard to get an item buried beneath other items. The first outfitting of our new Oliver is nearly complete. I'll get some storage pictures and post them - as soon as I get a camera replacement; the SD reader in my 8 year old camera bit the dust yesterday and the replacement camera is backordered till Feb 3. Urghhhhhh #%!&

Each of us has a small travel thermos (18oz); we preheat the same as you. Also, mugs with lids keep the coffee hot longer. We have Yeti coffee "mugs" that actually keep the coffee warm almost at well as a thermos. Not a good thing, though, if you want to drink it - now!

started new topic, "Topper vs. Soft Tonneau Cover Vs. Hard sectional Cover" Was not trying to hijack this one. Bryan,

As the other "opinion" on this issue - I was somewhat surprised to discover the BAS cable was not long enough to reach the same connection spot as the chain hook. The Oliver folks had simply connected it to the chain, as shown in Sheri's pics - but also not routed it in a workmanlike manner. The cable was NOT sufficiently long enough to reach any vehicle I have experienced. Given what was available at the time - the current connection was and is sufficient - but can be improved very simply - heck a few looped HD ty bands would do the trick. Oliver delivery personnel should have remedied this at delivery - in my view. I will add - the Anderson hook up - a much improved design over the one I had - stinks - when it comes to pinning the whale tale. A novice - if they don't cuss- will - after fussing with the pin. Get a grinder - bevel the pin, and loosen the damn chains. Otherwise - find a sailor and go to town...... Sheri - you don't have to do anything - but later, you can make it more better- .

So, if you hook up, think you're good, pull ahead 20 feet, and check. You'll see. If you're on the ball, all is tight. I wish I were there to see, but the only way you can engage the collar lock is if you are TOTALLY missing the ball connection.

Shoot! I just spent 4 days in Nederland. Wish I could have helped you.

This should have been hooked up properly when you picked up your trailer. I towed with a Rebel and the break away reached to the truck. Having said that, you don’t need to lose any sleep over this. Especially with the Andersen, if you ensure the bulldog is on the ball right, chances are slim to none that you will have an issue. Mike

Thanks for your reply. Yep. I have the 6 brightway AGM batteries that came with the solar package from Oliver

We keep one day's laundry in a small bag in the bathroom. The rest goes into two ikea bags in the truck bed, presorted. We empty daily.

I can't tell what your distance is, from your photos If I remember correctly, you should have 24 inches of play. You have time. Take it. Use it Take your trailer back in next week, talk to Jason, and get it right. If it's wrong.

until those (Davies et.al.) more knowledgeable than I chime in, here is a thread i found. copy paste into Search Arg, and you will get a good read. Trailer Emergency Breakaway Cable - Original Factory Cable Not Long enough i want to say my cable is about 4' long. sorry i cannot give you an exact measurement, as #665 is across town hibernating. there once was a "Forum'r" who accidently "Stepped" on his, engaging it, he plugged it back in by hand, and drove down the road, with ppl waving at him, until he looked back and saw smoke coming out of wheel wells and realized his brakes were engaged... realizing he did not re-insert properly. i have been very careful not to step on mine. And i will be buying the red "Pig-Tail" type cable. I KNOW NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR, BUT SOMETHING YOU NEED TO BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT...

Here's another of the very helpful PS articles

Storage - after a few trips in the EII - you will be amazed how much you can squirrel away. After two + years we still wonder why - we have this, or that along for the trip. I doubt we will ever fully reach "ZEN" status with our needs - vs wants - but hey - its the American way....

John, I ended up buying the 6" smart fan that has 10 settings from 35 cfm to 350 cfm, so I was able to do some additional testing of the "bilge" fan idea. I also got the programmable thermostat with it (more on how I'm using that below). After lots of testing on lots of different fan speeds, you were right about running the fan longer (thanks again for the ideas). For the first 20 minutes or so, the temperatures in some of the basement areas would go up quickly and others would go down quickly, but if I kept the fan running, eventually things stabilized and all of the temperatures ended up pretty close together. The faster the fan ran, the faster the temps stabilize. The important thing was the temps stayed well above freezing in all areas of the basement that I had the sensors with outside temps in the mid 20's and the interior held at 55 with a portable electric heater. Since this works well, I feel like I have the "all electric" solution to keep everything from freezing - and it's independent of the furnace. I installed the fan under the front dinette seat with a 6" vent and the thermostat in the back up against the inlet check valves. As a reminder, my primary goal was to not have to winterize while in storage, but to use electric as a primary source of heat rather than (relatively expensive propane). So I have my Oliver set up in storage now as follows: 1. Electric space heater set to 55 degrees 2. Furnace set to 50 degrees 3. Smart fan set to come on when the check valve temp falls to 38 degrees What happens with this setup is the space heater will try to keep the interior at 55. Once the check valves get cold (38), the fan comes on and runs as fast as it needs to in order to keep the check valves at or above 38. The valves don't come up in temp very fast, so the fan runs quite a bit once they hit the 38 degree mark. This eventually heats up everything in the basement and of course cools the interior a bit faster. When it's cold enough outside (25 degrees or colder), the space heater can't keep the cabin temp at 55 and eventually the cabin falls to 50 - where the gas furnace kicks on to help out (and it heats everything up in the cabin and basement). Being in NC where we don't get super cold nights a lot, the furnace isn't running much at all in this scenario. It ran last night for the first time when we had 22 degrees - and it only ran a few times and used a negligible amount of propane! I think this bilge pump will work great in the summer too to get the hot air out of the basement. Not sure how I'll use it yet in summer, but at least I'll be able to keep the basement "fresh". 🙂

Thank you for your posts. They make me giggle. We have a Ram that slammed its brakes on while we were backing up at David Crockett SP too. We were fairly new to the truck and completely new to the Ollie, WTH?? Jumped out to see what we had hit or were about to hit, nothing there. It took us a bit of testing but we finally figured out it was the ball and hitch thingy! Scared the crap out of me. Honestly, I have so much admiration for anyone who does this alone. Even doing it with a partner can be nerve-wracking but at least you have someone to bounce ideas off! Our dog, Fiona, thinks she can drive too although she wants to drive our Prius more than the Ram. Happy travels and hope to meet you some day. Paula

John, yep, using 11 Pro. It makes anything at night look awesome. Another good example of tech-wonderful and not problematically “predictive” (i.e., newer Ram trucks slamming on brakes because it thinks you’re about to roll back over a baby carriage but really it’s just the ball on your hitch thingy). Disabled that. Today it decided I should not back up because a FedEx truck was parked, empty, blocking me. I will figure out what “it” thought was “wrong” with my Evil Plan tomorrow (or when I get “time”) and disable THAT annoying safety over-do feature as well. 37 computers in a truck? I sit there going, “OPEN THE POD BAY DOORS, HAL.” Aheh.

We drip into a thermal container, whether we’re sitting around the trailer or getting on the road. We also carry a Nespresso Pixie for those times only an espresso will do. Mike

One potential downside of the Clever Dripper is that their large cone will only make sixteen ounces at a time.

Yes I second the preheat

I use a old thermal stainless pot from a defunct krups machine. And a big drip cone from Amazon. If you really want steaming coffee to last, preheat the big pot (clean), with boiling water. Let it sit for a minute or two. Return water to the tea kettle. (Same procedure for thermal mugs) Reheat water. Make coffee. The preheated jug or cup keeps coffee hot much longer .

So, now you are "officially" one of the family - welcome! After all the nerves, confusion and worry, you now have that dream of yours. I hope that you will find it much easier to get this new way of life moving forward. I've always found that if I can see and touch something, the whole idea of it is much easier to grasp. Yes, there is a bunch to learn. But, that is part of the attraction of the lifestyle. Don't rush (ever), slow down - you've got all the time in the world and as you have already seen, there are people around you that are more than willing to help. Keep those pics coming! Bill

Great picture and glad you finally have your Ollie! Backing with a single axle is a little trickier than with a double. Just remember that you can’t go too slow when backing in. After 5 years I still go very slow which allows lots of time to make corrections. Try hooking up water sometime today to make sure your faucets and toilet work. If it’s going to be below freezing tonight unhook your hose and store it until tomorrow, just use your water pump and fresh water tank. Good luck! Mike

Note that - the smaller Clam tent is great for one person and comfortable for two. Three can fit but four gets really crowded and five is standing room only! Bill 😃

Welcome! We are awaiting our delivery in February. There is lots of information on these boards and many wonderful, helpful members. Don’t hesitate to ask questions.

Yup. Composters need not worry. Lol.

O.K., got it. You black tankers are weird, lol. 💩