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I picked up my trailer from storage today and followed the de-winterization process, described in the recent post from the service dept. Trailer is brand new 2021 Elite 1. This is our first RV of any kind (we are RV rookies). I took delivery the first week of February and spent 3 nights on my way back home to central TX and a couple of more days parked in front of my house trying to learn the systems. In preparation for the winter storm, I winterized the trailer. I drained all of my lines and tanks the best I could. I added the pink RV antifreeze, turned off all components drawing a current, and - certain that I had forgotten something - prayed for the best. The trailer is stored in a Boat & RV storage facility, covered, but open air. No hookups. After 3 full weeks in storage (including a full week of below freezing temps), I picked up the trailer this morning. My batteries were at 12.4V (is this about a 50% charge on my 2 AGMs?) . After a day in the direct sun, the solar had charged the batteries to 13.8V. I plugged in at my house (20A service) for tonight. I assume the batteries are still healthy? I flushed the fresh tank, and ran enough water through to the plumbing to fill a and drain a couple of gray tanks, and I reconnected and tested my water heater. No visible signs of leaks. No water leaking through the metal drain holes. While running the water, I took a flashlight and looked for any signs of water or leaks under the rear seats. (Finger crossed) I think my little Ollie survived! I am taking my wife on our maiden voyage this weekend. We are staying very close to home - on a nearby ranch the first night and at a Harvest Host the second night. We are visiting family and friends each night and will never be more than 1 hour from our house or more than 5 minutes from a town. The weather is forecast to be beautiful. I am trying to do the easiset trip possible to ease into this RV camping. Wish us luck! Again, thanks so much for all of your advice and patience with the first-timers. Bill

😩 As Charles B often said - "Good Grief" I remember a former "new" Oliver owner who shared on this forum, his many problems of initial Oliver ownership. He was not a happy customer, and after much back and forth, on this forum, and - as he stated - with Oliver - eventually - parted ways with his new Oliver. Despite a somewhat irregular - ownership experience -and with many numerous posts - I never observed any action -by anyone, Oliver included, that attempted to alter, influence, or diminish the negative posts. As forum readers we see the participants public comments and stated issues, but do not hear the other side of the story. Oliver's official response is kept between the parties. Thankfully we are spared the "Yelp review - he said - no - she said" - back and forth. I am inclined to believe - at times - moderators, and other folks of influence, have given Oliver a heads up - or actually asked for clarification. Us Oliver owners like to believe the mothership is connected to this forum for both good and bad, happy and sad. I believe they are. It is just good business! If I am in error here - well Oliver is missing out. If a tree falls in the woods and there is no one there to observe the fall - did it happen? Quantum mechanics questions the validity. If I was a disappointed, angry, or unsatisfied customer and I wished to share my experience, it would make sense to do so in a site that had participants who not only had an interest in the situation, but also had influence in the community. Rational people usually make rational decisions that lead to rational response. History shows Oliver to be more rational in customer concerns than most SOB's. However, regardless of where one shares the story - actual problem remediation can only be made through the customer/business problem resolution process. In the end - Oliver is the final arbitrator - if the customer remains unsatisfied, none of us on this forum can remedy the situation. However, the majority of people on this forum are eager to help with suggestions and experience backed responses to aid all that ask. Family helping family. I would not think to question the motives and integrity of this forum and it's participants - as my experience here indicates otherwise. Overall it is a civil and positive place to share experiences and provide feedback. I am done here. This thread to the dustbin of concern. RB

We are lucky ours is in our unheated barn in Maine. We winterize and it is plugged in to keep the batteries charged.

Keep Ollie in an airplane hangar. Installed a battery master disconnect switch to keep batteries from running down.

Here - plugged in to AC. Soon to spend its off season days here:

Our Ollie at our home on Blueberry Hill -

In the "old" days when batteries were not as "sealed" as they are now, it was advisable to place them on wood versus a concrete floor. Even though that is no longer the case, I still do it - why not? Bill

About the same time I started this thread I also contacted the Buffalo, WY Chamber of Commerce. Apparently there was a bit of a snafu in their office but once that was straightened out they sent me a very nice packet of information including information regarding local museums, camping, sightseeing, fishing and real maps. Having received this after I had already basically set my schedule I now wish I had allotted more time for visiting this area. Perhaps next year. Moral of the story is that if you have the time it just might be worth that email to a local Chamber of Commerce. Bill

We have a 2020 Tundra Limited Double Cab TRD 4x4 with factory tow package and 38 gallon fuel tank. It has a tow rating of 9100 lbs. which is the lowest rating for the model year due to the off-road suspension and increased fuel capacity. We will be accepting delivery of our Elite l in early June. If we max out the 5000 lb. GVWR of the Elite, the Tundra should handle it easily. Even with a full water tank, partial waste tanks, and full LP bottles I doubt we would ever reach 5000 lbs. unless we loaded it with cinder blocks. We pack light anyway. We were going to get the Anderson WDH simply to satisfy the requirements of the Tundra Owners Manual which states that "a sway control device of sufficient capacity" must be used when towing a trailer in excess of 2000 lbs. I think that the Tundra will tow the Elite without issue, and I don't want to have to fuss with a WDH when I hit the two-track roads. I contacted Toyota and specifically asked if the built in Toyota Electronic Sway Control satisfied the requirement of "a sway control device of sufficient capacity". Their response: "We have researched your Tundra VIN XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, and determined that it has all the necessary components installed to safely tow 9900 lbs. with the standard fuel tank or 9100 lbs. with the large 38 gallon fuel tank." I need to finalize our options next Tuesday, and I will not be getting the Anderson. I have documentation of Toyota's response to my query and it is on file at Toyota USA Headquarters. I will also give a copy to my insurance agent. I wanted to share this with others that were concerned about liability issues concerning sway control requirements of the Tundra.

Bill, thanks for the tip on contacting the Chamber of Commerce. I just called them and requested literature for an upcoming trip my wife and I have planned for Wyoming. I had a very pleasant phone call with someone who was very eager to help with getting me information about what to do in that area. Hope you have a great fishing trip!

BillATX - After only three weeks in storage I'm guessing that you did not disconnect (flip the main circuit breakers to off) your batteries and that is what caused your batteries to get down to 12.4 V. Yes, there would still be a drain from other items that are not affected by those two breakers but assuming that the batteries were at full charge when you put it in storage you might want to keep an eye on how the batteries are working for a couple of days. The 13.8V that you are seeing is basically the voltage coming into the batteries as they are being charged by either (or both) your solar panels and/or your shore power. Having said all of this - I believe that your batteries are fine. Assuming that this included your fresh water tank then even though three weeks doesn't sound like very much time and it was cold for most of that time, it really doesn't take much time for your fresh water tank to become stale at the minimum and very unsanitary at the maximum. It really doesn't take long to sanitize it and you'll feel better as will your tank. Have fun! Relax! Enjoy the heck out of that new Ollie and send pics! Bill

I use full synthetic 0w20 year round, at 5000 mile intervals. If I were not using the good stuff I would change it more often, but this has been working well. At nearly eight quarts capacity, it is a little more costly. John Davies Spokane WA

Enjoy your first trip. Post some pictures please. When you have time at home, consider sterilizing the water system with bleach, I do it every spring to make sure nothing bad has started growing. My friend has a junky trailer and he complained about stinky water from the taps. I asked him how often he sterilized it, and he said “never!” This is on a five year old trailer..... I told him that his fresh tank was probably grey by now.... yuck. We have been having record warm temperatures the last week, but the cold will be returning. I plan to hitch up add bleach, and go for a long test drive before flushing the system and parking “Mouse” for a few more weeks. I definitely have cabin fever..... Those Harvest Hosts can be nice or mediocre, the problem we have is that the wineries we like end up costing us way more in their products that if we stayed in a commercial place. John Davies Spokane WA

My Firestone airbags came with individual schrader valves that could be mounted externally under the bumper. I asked the tech to run them up into the right rear fender well, at the jack. I added colored tape to ID them, Red Left, Green Right. When not towing, I leave them coiled up in there, when towing I leave that access cover off and run the ends out to where I can reach them easily. There is about two feet of excess length, plenty to allow the valves to lie on top of cargo like my generator. I use a compact low pressure mountain bike pump and two gauges, this one for adjusting at the low end (they want 5 psi at all times to prevent pinching damage). Milton S-917 2 to 20 psi gauge And this one for adjusting the high end: Milton S-921 5 to 50 psi The pressure you need while towing depends on the tongue weight, I was running 12 psi when the trailer had a TW of 620 pounds. and since I lightened it up to 480 pounds, I backed off to 10 psi, and I leave the Andersen chains almost slack. For towing a trailer with no WD hitch like a Uhaul rental it would be higher. The gauges and spare valve caps and cores, and an extra schrader valve, fit in a 1 quart zip bag and when NOT towing, they ride in the little cubby inside the jack cover, and the pump gets covered by some foam water line insulation and tucked in the bottom of that compartment next to the jack. When towing I leave them out in the open so I can adjust pressure without having to shift any cargo. You can drive the truck with 10 psi in the bags and no trailer, but it rides VERY rough and the butt sits high, so if you plan to drive any distance, especially on unpaved roads, lower the pressure to the minimum. They specify 5 psi, but I am actually using 4 psi, a very little change of air pressure at the low end makes a big difference to the ride. Going from 5 to 4 psi is a 20% change. Going from 20 to 19 psi is only a 5% change. An onboard pump and gauges would be very nice, but every connection and splice gives you a potential leak point. I prefer to have a very minimal number of splices. For inflating, the bike pump takes about thirty pumps per side, then I disconnect and reduce the pressure to the correct psi using the gauge. I hope that answered your questions, and more. 😬 John Davies Spokane WA

OTH, I had a mobile tech come to inspect my inverter chassis (second) ground wire for the recall a couple of years ago, and Oliver sent me a check, no hassles. But for a safety recall, their policy is probably more lenient toward the owner. John Davies Spokane WA

I have been here over five years and I never felt that I could not post a less than rosy comment or thread, in fact I continue to be quite critical of a few factory design and build issues, ones that do not appear to be much improved year after year (and also of an occasional owner modification that I felt was dangerous or unsafe.) The Mods have never censored me. Personal attacks or nasty comments OTH are never tolerated. There have been a very few unhappy new owners that go away and never return, leaving unanswered questions - “Where did he go???” I don’t think there is anything that can be done about it in any forum. I participate in many, and this by FAR is the only one that feels to me like close family. As it grows, I really hope that it stays that way. Thank you Members and especially thank you Mods! FYI, after several horrific ownership experiences with boats and RVs, I swore I would never own another one. This forum convinced me to get “Mouse” and I have zero regrets about that investment. It is an excellent product, without a doubt the best RV for its price range, produced by a stellar company that prides itself on trying to make us all happy. Not everyone will be happy, but that IMHO is to be expected. John Davies Spokane WA

Oliver provides the platform (server, software, administrators) for the forum. Forum content, guidelines, etc are managed by the moderators with no direction from Oliver. We try to keep this a friendly place where there can be a free exchange of information. Complaints and issues are not censored or removed. Yes, there is a generally positive vibe, but that’s because folks are generally happy with their trailer. Positive feedback and constructive criticism are both welcome here. Folks that have issues early on can find a lot of expertise here to help get them resolved quickly. Moderators are also open to suggestions, criticism, etc.

@Ray Kimsey @rideandfly @topgun2 Just a follow up to this post. I took our Oliver to discount tire yesterday and was disappointed to learn that none of the tires including the spare were balanced. I had all of the rubber valve stems replaced with higher quality short steel stems. I decided to purchased the certificates for all (5) tires to repair/replace if they cannot fix the tire. This also includes lifetime balance and rotation. (receipt) The techs did a great job and hand torqued all lugs to specs. While having the work done I was speaking with a friend who owns a 2019 OLEll and ALL of his wheels were balanced by Oliver’s tire manufacture. He visually checked for me. Not sure why our all (5) of our tires were not balanced? They are now. Anything worth doing is worth doing right.

LongStride, Your Tundra will handle a single axle Ollie without a Anderson WDH without issues. After reading the same section in the 2016 Toyota Tundra's Operators manual, had the same concerns as you. This is my understanding of their operators manual and only my humble opinion: A trailer sway device is needed for trailers over 2000 pounds and something like the Hayes Swaymaster electronic sway control device will work mounted on the trailer unless a WDH is used, Have installation photos on an Ollie, if needed. The SwayMaster activates trailer brakes when a sway event is detected.

A Tundra should not have any issues towing a single axle Ollie without WDH or trailer mounted sway control. We probably have one of the lightest LE2 Ollies @ 4900 to 4950 pounds ready to camp with tongue weight under 500 pounds, empty tanks and it will be getting even lighter after installing Lithium batteries. Found the 2016 Tundra to handle the LE2 easily without WDH with the highest mileage day around 720 miles. Our Ollie has trailer mounted electronic Sway Control and it has activated at least two times applying trailer brakes after coming down a mountain when halfway through curves. It was my fault because I was towing too fast. When the trailer mounted sway control activated I could feel the trailer brakes applying. When we purchased our new 2016 Tundra, also had concerns about legally complying with Tundra's operators manual for sway control just like LongStride. (Forgot about this piece of research in my previous post) Found this 2010 Tundra forum thread about Tundra's sway control from a Toyota training manual. This is why I installed a trailer mounted sway control. From LongStride's recent communications with Toyota, they have changed their position from the 2010 thread. https://www.tundratalk.net/threads/trailer-sway-control.85902/ From the above thread link: "Week 54: Trailer sway control Customers need to know that a truck equipped with electronic trailer sway control is not a substitute for traditional mechanical sway control designed for the trailer".

You will be fine. Go enjoy your new addition to the family. Your modern Toyota is well situated to tow an EI. RB

The propane CO detector and other parasite drains are the issue. You can unhook the batteries but a shut off switch would be better. Still you will be shorting the life of any battery to leave it sitting for long periods. As stated above a small portable solar will keep the batters charged. Unfortunately if solar is not a option in your storage then bring them home. Keep them in the relative warmth of a garage and use trickle chargers.

After the arctic blast the weather this week has been great and you should have good weather this weekend! Your batteries should be okay. If you’re going to store under cover with no electrical for long periods you might consider disconnecting your batteries or installing a cut off switch. If you’ve got 2 AGM’s there should be room in the battery tray to mount a switch, it’s fairly easy to do. Mike

Enjoy your first camping trip! Please post a review and pictures of the HH location either here in the Boondocking thread or in the Oliver Trailer Owners Facebook group. We also live in north central Texas so I’m curious where you’ll be staying. We did our first HH at a plantation in Louisiana on our return trip from picking up our Oliver.

Interesting there must be more to this story. When I picked up my 2019 LE2 I had several issues that I caught before ever leaving the parking lot. Two days camped in the parking lot, all issues were resolved. While at David Crockett SP. two more problems all taken care of. They weren’t owner errors. One month later several more warranty issues. Oliver staff set me up with the closest dealer to me and all work was covered no charge. Your warranty should cover all items for at least the first year on non Oliver items ac fridge etc. and Oliver’s warranty is covered for two years. Which is one of the best compared to others. Unless this all changed.

I like your solar setup and would like to do something similar since we don't have solar installed. Thanks for sharing.

Sorry to hear about the problem. Are the existing (dead) batteries you are replacing AGMs? Or wet cell lead acid? I have a 4x12volt wet cell lead acid battery setup in my Ollie (offered as an option at the time) and they have been great, but I’m considering going to 4x12volt AGMs, like the Optima brand batteries, when the lead acid ones eventually need replaced. Optima makes 12 volt AGMs in the standard automobile car battery size package but listed by Optima as RV batteries, so they would fit the same as the 4 lead acid batteries I have now. Maybe lithiums but I’m having a hard time justifying that expense. And if you’re storing outside but in a fairly safe, secure area, if you don’t already have the factory solar (assuming you don’t since your batteries died) then you can use a portable solar panel to maintain battery charge. I have a ZAMP 140 watt portable panel with integrated charge controller that I hook up with a 7 pin adapter to the Ollie 7 pin pigtail. Works great for charging and maintaining the batteries. If you’re storing indoors with no shore power AC connection, then I know there are a few owners that have a cutoff switch added right at the batteries to eliminate the parasitic current draw from the Ollie accessories. But 10 weeks is still a pretty long time, especially in cold weather, for a battery to sit.

BoB, I looked for a stock photo of the toaster we use on the boat, and I found this instead--"vintage, antique toaster pendant light." <sigh> I guess I'm beginning to resemble the vintage label, too.

In July, we delayed our production order on our Elite 1 because we hoped they could give us the lithium batteries. Plus. like on Games of Thrones "Winter was coming". We knew they were placing them in the Elite ll and questioned about placing them in the Elite l. Oliver was gracious enough to say they would get back to us. We understood it may require additional changes to the camper like a different solar controller/charger, battery mounting in tray and wiring. So, we kept our fingers crossed. Lithium or not, we are anxiously waiting for our camper scheduled for the end of March.

I use a light three season (35 degree) poly mummy bag with a microfiber liner. https://www.rei.com/product/850235/cocoon-microfiber-mummy-liner It is really really hard to get in and out of, but I SLEEP much better, mainly because with the narrow bunk mattress and regular cotton bedding I cannot simply roll onto my side, I have to wake up and heave my body to its new position. This slippery bag conforms to my body and I can change position much easier, so that often I don’t wake up at all. I do use both a mattress cover and a decorative cover under the bag. I wash the liner at home after every trip, or it could easily be hand washed in the sink, and I wash the bag at the end of the season. My wife OTH much prefers sheets and blankets.... I normally set the cabin furnace temp to about 60 degrees, but when I am alone it goes down to 50. I try to supercool it in very hot weather and turn off the AC at bedtime. John Davies Spokane WA

Bill, It was a great trip! We stopped in Little Rock on the way out and there was still tons of snow on the ground. Highways were good but side streets were icy and dangerous at points. After leaving LR heading to Hohenwald it was super foggy and you couldn't see more than 2 car lengths in front at times. DCSP was beautiful and I wouldn't mind going back there when we have more time. There was still snow on the ground there as well. Next we headed to Orange Beach/Gulf Shores, AL to visit friends for a couple of days where I got to put my toes in the sand and surf - that was heaven after the last few week's weather in TX. Again through Mobile it was really foggy. We stopped there to let a potential buyer have a tour of the new Ollie. He warned us early about the fog. Finally we stopped in Melrose, LA on the way home at the plantation. I think my husband really enjoyed just pulling in and pulling out without having to hook up, block or anything else. We will definitely look for opportunities to boondock in the future. Cindy

I have one we have used since the 80's - from the top of a white gas Coleman - in the way back - to the city slicker modern stovetop of the Ollie. It probably has more road miles on it than I care to admit. Last trip I noticed we had a new one - my wife said she found it on sale - but why? The new is now back in the home storage bin - and the old guy (toaster) is much happier - still useful- not having been replaced by the upstart cheap usurper. One of us is enough.

We had our first boondocking experience this past Friday when returning to Texas from picking up our Oliver. It was a short overnight stop through Harvest Hosts (our first time using them) at Melrose Plantation in Melrose, LA. Just parked in their parking lot and the next morning after breakfast we took a tour of the plantation before heading home. It was a fun stop with lots of history. And look at the size of the 150 year old trees with resurrection fern growing on them.

I would be pretty distracted by strippers too...... John Davies Spokane WA

I have completed most of my version of the transfer pump. Will receive Zamp outlet, Zamp extension cord, and inline fuse to finish the install early next week.

Post a pix when you're finished. Depending upon how you mount the Zamp Connector and the Switch....pay particular attention to where the "case closures" need to be in their fully closed position. The switch position was something I messed up the first time, when I was "finished" the case closures couldn't fully engage, had to move the switch down a bit and plug the hole I had drilled. Measure twice, drill once! CS

I gotta say we couldn't be happier with our 2020 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel Longhorn with Anderson WDH and air suspension. The WDH is no big deal at all. We don't even notice our 2018 Ollie LEII behind us. And, as others have noted, driving without the trailer around town is a very pleasant ride. We were getting 18 mpg towing on the flat roads of Florida. They seemed to be paired extremely well but we are close to maxing out on payload capacity. When checking in at a State park campground, there was a car that kept circling us taking pictures. Despite being convinced otherwise, my wife assured me that they weren't taking pictures of me 😁.

Bill, by design the tanks are very low and long, and the openings are toward the back, so having the tongue raised a few inches helps with getting all the fluid out. John Davies Spokane WA

It turns out that even though the new raptor won’t have a hybrid option, you’ll can still get the built in generator - in fact it will be standard. I guess I forgot it was an option for non-hybrid regular F150’s. Also they've upped the payload and towing by 200 lbs each. Not a big difference but every pound helps. Makes it tempting to upgrade.

TESTING SO FAR (the past two days) - 1. I have connected water and tested pressure from kitchen faucet and bath. I have installed a basic Camco blue water filter and a Valterra brass pressure regulator (with the adjustable dial). I have found no leaks, but not sure I would since the leaks would likely be between the inner and outer shells. I also installed the Oliver-supplied quick connects on the white supply hose and the city water and fresh tank inlets. QUESTION - for those of you that use the quick connects, do you have a cap that covers the inlets while you are travelling? Road debris could enter the quick connects, I assume? 2. I have filled and discharged my fresh tanks multiple times. I have tested the Seelevel tank monitor with the trailer at different angles. FACT - An unlevel trailer will yield inaccurate tank level readings. I still have not experienced the loss of pressure caused by the plastic shavings caught in the pump filter, but I'll clean out the filter when I get home. 3. I have run lights and used outlets on shore power and battery. I am still ignorant about how the batteries work and how much I can discharge them with damaging them. I also have no good understanding about how long I could go without recharging the batteries and what types of power loads I could support and for how long. Lots of reading and testing still to come. 4. I have run the Norcold fridge on AC only and only when hooked up. I have tested on propane and appears to work fine, but I turned the fridge off when travelling today. I have not run the fridge off of batteries yet. No issues with fridge, but it is an RV (non-compressor) fridge, so it is small and doesn't get cold quickly. 5. Furnace heats up fast! The first night at Davey Crockett, it got cold (mid-20s). The furnace kept the coach warm enough. I set the temp to 64F. The thermostat seems imprecise, but when the furnace did flip on, it got the coach warm quickly. The second night, I used a small electric space heater (750W) and it kept the coach warm all night long. The furnace never came on. Outside temps were low 30s. One negative in the Elite 1 - the rear duct gets very little airflow and heat through it. 6. The propane stove works well. I made coffee and, yes, it definitely tastes better at camp. The front propane quick connect works well. I have not used the rear propane quick connect yet. I have torked the lug nuts once after about 50 miles. Only one lug was was a tiny bit loose, but all others were still fine. I'll tork the lugs again before I leave in the morning. 7. I have tried the shower and it works, though it is small. Really only good for a quick rinse, but it does the job. I got the Truma instant hot water heater and it works well. I had to reset it after travelling with the propane off. 8. I still need to test the microwave and the compost toilet. Not sure I am ready to grow a garden the bathroom yet😀. I hope this helps. I really believe these trailers are high quality - exactly AS ADVERTISED. Bill

We elected not to utilize the screws provide to secure the panels down as we wanted to ensure easy access for any maintenance needed. Therefore, we noticed the rubbing between the panel and the body of the trailer made a little noise. An easy fix was to apply this felt tape to the body of the trailer where the panel makes contact. I must say it worked great and still allows you to screw the panels down if you desire. For ~$15 we would highly recommend if you find yourself wanting make the seats a little quieter. I will try to go out and get some pictures this weekend to share on this post. Another positive is you can remove at anytime without much effort, if so desired. JVCC FELT-06 Polyester Felt Tape, 1mm Thick, 75' Length x 3/4" Width, Black https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QDRRNE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Happy Traveling, Mark

All parts are standard 3/4" PVC fittings except for the female and male garden hose adapters, which may be a little harder to locate. Ace Hardware had everything I needed. I used yellow CPVC cement because I didn't't have the regular kind, but it is fine for this application. You can insert this inline with your fresh water hose after the filter, with the short arm facing up. With no water pressure in the hose (tee empty), unscrew the cap and pour in or inject the appropriate quantity of household bleach. Install upper cap and turn on the water. John Davies Spokane WA

My Ram Rebel is the best! But if I get a 3/4 ton diesel it will be even more best!! 😎