Leaderboard

Wow. I wonder if my safety cables would hold my truck... might need to think about an upgrade to real heavy duty chains.

Good topic. I just climbed under my 2017 LE1 and measured 1.625 in. clearance between the top of the U-Bolt and the underside of the frame. Also noticed no interference evidence after 20K miles of pleasant towing. I have recently installed the Dexter zerk fitting kit which includes new heavy duty shackles that are longer (center to center) and provide some additional lift of maybe .5 - .75 in. An improvement might be the addition of a rubber bumper pad which OTT may want to consider.

For the shower we use a hybrid system - part of the curtain is connected to the factory slide and we use small suction cups to keep it placed across the door opening, and just above the rear of the sink. When done, it stows conveniently in the front left corner by way of suction cups with the shock cord/ball end. I suppose we could do without, but have just settled on this process for now. Newsflash - we used the microwave last night - made fine baked tators. to go with the stake and shrimp. So, I will now say the micro was/is a good use of space..... yes dear.... We had the easy start from the factory - but have not run it off a genset - yet. Compost toilet - I think in the total - it is just easier than the black tank - and dump station process. Grey water is no problem. Inclement weather - today and tomorrow - first time stuck in the Ollie - but we have the WWW, and local stations, oh, and each other😍 RB

Relax guys, this is not a major issue. I've owned two different Oliver's over the past 13 years. Both an Elite and a Elite II. If you hit a big enough bump or drop into a deep enough hole, the suspension will probably bump the frame. I have noticed evidence of contact on both trailers thru the years. Other than cosmetic, there was no damage to the frame. The Elite's are supplied with 5200 pound axles with larger brakes and bigger spring packs than the two 3500 pound axles on the Elite II's.

If the 2200 (1800 watt) generators won't start the AC, I'd strongly encourage you to consider having someone else install the EasyStart before buying a larger generator. They get pretty unwieldy after 1800 watts. The EasyStart is a very simple install for an RV shop and the part is way less than the cost of a larger generator.

My thoughts exactly, great point Mike. I may re-evaluate cables.

Yeah, here in WA we were seeing a big uptick of other outdoor pursuits such as hiking and skiing even pre-pandemic, to an extent significantly greater than our also large regional population increase. A lot of younger adults fed the boom. Imagine that - a generation that wants to spend more time outdoors doing healthy activities. While it's a pain in the butt for me I have to think this is nonetheless a healthy change, though I think some shifts back to spending more toward investing in our public lands may be in order if demand stays up. I suspect that there will be some dropoff in folks camping as their trust in various built environment options for vacations returns, but my bet is that it won't return to what we were used to.

To escape the summer Texas heat we like to go north. I’m planning a July Colorado trip and state parks and USFS campgrounds that take reservations are full. Some locations had no availability. Hopefully, we’ll find some dispersed or no reservation sites. I’m not sure it is all COVID. My son bought his first travel trailer this week (they’re in Colorado). My niece and her husband here in town did the same. They are all in their 30’s. Now I find myself providing lists of essentials to them and recommending good camping locations. A new camping generation is on the way.... Mike

The travel on our EII is not that much longer, approx 2.5 ". In the 18k miles its been towed on good, bad, and ugly surfaces- we have not had any issues. As long as you speed is appropriate for the conditions all remains well. Like others, I am sure we have seen SOB's with large air gaps between the axle and the frame surface - why so different - I don't know. My Ollie is good on the road, works for me. RB

@Geronimo John those are all good, real world comparisons. Thanks. My first advice to Imelda was to get the soft start installed. You or I could do it. She doesn't feel comfortable with doing that. So, she should find the cost difference in having someone else do it. This forum sometimes tends to trend to those with a lot of skills. Not everyone has those skills. That shouldn't be a demeaning thing. Ever. Our forum should help those who want to know what "to ask for" in an estimate, if the owner doesn't have the skills. As a young kid, my dad taught me how to troubleshoot. Even if I couldn't fix it. At least I wasn't at the total blank end of the stick, when I needed help. I think you know what I mean. I know you have heart. If you , or many of us , were nearby , I know she'd have help.

Sherry: your suggestion of AI Generators , at $386 each (Amazon.Com) is far less expensive than the Honda 2200 ei. One could buy two, almost three, and it would still cost a lot less than the Honda 2200 does. The competition to the Honda's is heating up nicely. One down side is that the AI's weigh 50 pounds and the Honda is 40 pounds. On the plus side, the two AI's make 4,000 watts of power vsl 2200 for the single Honda....

I have installed the suction cups; seems to work fine. A full size (tub-shower length) curtain covers the door and around the toilet to the front wall. I don't worry about the sink getting wet. I sewed a suction cup to each bottom corner of the curtain to help keep it in place. I haven't tried this yet in the Oliver, but it seemed to work well in our camper van "dry bath" shower/closet. I do like that this setup will allow me to shower with the curtain in place and the door open. I don't know if this hinders or improves ventilation, with both fans going and windows open a bit. I haven't had a chance to experiment; time will tell. Our shower curtain is a fabric one, so it dries quickly. Truthfully, how you approach the wet bath depends on how much you actually use the shower.

Just ordered an Ollie. Have had an Adventure Wagon, bought new in '84. hate to give it up but time for a little more room at our age.. Now hope to get input from forum on some of the options. Know want solar and 6V AGM. want some input on composting toilet and other things to consider.

Another bit of info - https://idahostatepolice.blogspot.com/2021/03/heroic-rescue-after-pickup-goes-over.html?fbclid=IwAR2Bj6f6_R-nytgIAWDdnFATarXo8UZcYwb9TuRRB-IJbp8iq37UPXHy9HU

Thanks John. I was thinking about a few more crazy options today. One thing I've got in the back of my mind is that a loss of the fan and having the battery box heat up isn't a show stopper like not having backup heat would be (and having pipes freeze / break). So, I still have a few months (at least) to think about it before we start seriously warming up here. I'm not planning on super hot camping, but all I have is a big steel shed for the Ollie and it could get blistering hot in there over the summer. My batteries are always on to run lights, toilet fan, etc. If you get any data from your design, please let us know - like if you get the bug to head straight south soon. 🙂 Thanks again for reviewing my design and sharing your thoughts. Very helpful.

NCeagle, I think your design would work fine, though I would personally be really really reluctant to rely solely on a powered fan. I think it is important to have at least a little natural convective flow - warm air rises out the top, cooler air flows in down low. The space above the battery box is pretty much a dead end cave, while there may be a trickle of air going up between the hull walls, there is no place for escape for it up high, unless you drilled vents in the overhead cabinets. So you need those openings into the cabin where the pantry box joins the battery box. You don’t necessarily need forced air. John Davies Spokane WA

Nice work John. How is the rest of you conversion going? I thought I read on one of the new Li manufacturers sites that the temp window has expanded - hi and low. In the end - is the conversion worth the trouble - I wonder. RB

We use TeleSteps ladder, too:

The temperature data I've been collecting strongly suggest that I need to figure something out with the battery box like you did. My target is to keep the box in a sweet spot of 60F - 80F if possible. Given this limited range, I'm convinced that leaving the battery box door sealed and insulated is mandatory. These Lithiums are just like humans when it comes to temperature I guess! 🙂 Here's my preliminary design: Conditioned air intake: A 4" duct vent under the street side bed and another 4" duct vent in the battery box right above the street side wheel well. There's plenty of room for 3.75" holes in both places to install the ducts. Between the vents I'm planning on using a 4" duct paired with an inline smart fan (yes, I like smart fans!) to pull conditioned air from the cabin and push it into the battery box. The smart fan will fit nicely right on top of the wheel well and can run anywhere from 28 cfm to 280 cfm. It also has a thermostat to provide some automation. Battery box exhaust: I am not planning on exhausting the battery box directly back into the cabin. I have another 6" smart fan under my forward dinette seat to move air slowly or rapidly between the entire basement and the cabin if necessary. Additionally, if I leave the fan pushing conditioned air into the box running long enough it will be pushing conditioned air into that basement area and surrounding electronics. I'm also thinking of using a bunch of smaller holes in the battery box to exhaust the air rather than just one or two bigger holes. For example, a 3.75" diameter input is ~11 square inches of area, so if I use 1.5" diameter holes (1.75 sq. in. area), I would need ~6 holes to provide adequate exhaust area. So I was thinking of drilling the 6 smaller holes in somewhat random places on the front and back sides of the battery box, hoping that would give some good cool air mixing in there. I'm wide open to suggestions, constructive criticism, or any other things to consider that I missed. Especially @John E Davies since you have already thought through and executed on your design. Thanks!

the Adventure Wagon is a custom camper made by a company in Fort Bragg Ca. Fixed top and think a step up from the Westfalia. we had the Westfalia before that. Thanks for the input on solar and AGM. And the welcome, looking forward to being apart of this community

Thanks. The top looked odd to me, almost as if the blue section turned into a perfectly shaped Oliver pad. I've been on the lookout for a ladder. I appreciate the info!

Jairon: He is using a telescoping ladder with pool noodles attached to protect Ollie. Home Depot and Lowes sell several models. As decked out, I'm about 245 pounds so I really liked the stronger version. It is a TeleSteps Climbing Ladder, Type 1, Model 1600E, OSHA Compliant. When I get up on top of Ollie, I extend it out the full length and it gives me a high hand hold to then slide off the side to the roof. This model collapses down to about 3' and fits very nicely in the front side (Behind the hanging cloths) of the coat closet as you enter Ollie. I cover it in a blanket to protect the fiberglass. Telesteps Climbing Ladder _Type 1_ Model 1600E _OSHA Compliant.docx

Sherry: OMG, I am falling out of my chair laughing at my silly mistake. My apologies I totally miss-read your suggestion. I thought you were spoofing Imelda and you were not. I know some computer artificial intelligence code writers (generators). One works at NSA. So when you suggested getting two ai generators, my mind thought you were saying Imelda should get two Artificial Intelligence code generators and connecting them up with parallel cables to provide the trailer power. It was so funny that I had to pull your chain. I have deleted my OOPs. Forgive me. 🙂

Does anyone know what ladder and ladder extension/pad that is? It looks perfectly formed for an Oliver.

Search "Generator" and you'll find about 1500 opinions. Personally I use the Honda EU2200i. Many use the Honda EU200i, some Yamaha's, and recently the Harbor Freight inverter line (Predator's) is gaining acceptance with a bit more power (3,00 to 3,500 watts). Honda have as many believe the best reputation, but they are also expensive. Lots on options and opinions already here on the site.

Or, you could buy a pair of the ai generators, and connect them with the supplied parallel cables.

LongStride, My intention was not to question the overall design of the suspension system as Oliver has been making these trailers for several years without a bunch of complaints from other owners out there. When we bought ours, we realized we were not buying an overland rig to take to the "outback" so to speak. Like you, my wife and added the options needed for us to take some off the beaten path to boondock from time to time. We have utilized our trailer for multiple trips and have not really had any major problems with any suspension systems other than a squeak we developed after traveling through a rain storm one day. Some dry lube and addition of grease solved the problem. I have bumped this question to Jason to see if it is common across all newer LE1's or something might be incorrect with ours. I will report back when I hear back from him or the Oliver team.

I won't use anything else. Too much work for cheap substitutes that don't last. Some years ago, we started treating zippers on the boat with a product called zipper lube. Really helps with longevity. Even ykk gets tired on the sun.

Trust me, spills are not an unusual thing on boats.... I'm just really happy with the Ultrafabric, and I was skeptical, too, when our friend who works in the luxury yacht industry strongly recommended the Brisa. We both owe him. It's his birthday today, so raise a glass. At this point, I'm convinced the cushions should be good for another 10 years. Which makes me really happy, as cushion replacement is not cheap.

If you don't get the nature's head, you won't need to cover the toilet or keep it dry. If you do get the nh, you need to keep water out of it, but that could be accomplished with a big trah bag, or a plastic tablecloth. We boondock 99 per cent of the time. We had a microwave, but I think it died from lack of use. We removed it a few years ago, and built our own storage cabinet. Since you're not given a credit, you might as well get the microwave. See if you use it. Many do.

Good luck with your selections! I just recently turned in my build sheet for a May delivery and what I turned in was less optioned then when I started. I tried to focus on things I did not want to retrofit and deal with later. I was looking at smaller Elite originally and came down to two items for me. At just over 6ft height was issue in smaller one. I wanted to take my kids sometimes and twin model with dinette if needed won me over. I deleted microwave in my trailer. I am not sure if that is option for 2022. I just don’t use a microwave much even at home and wanted storage space. I did get easy start. I think you can retrofit later but that isn’t my forte so I had it added. I originally was convinced I need shower track. I did not get one. I will try without and if needed plenty of options to add suction cups. The one I struggled the most with was interior selection. I ultimately with went standard interior as wasn’t crazy about any fibergranite options and felt like really expensive upgrade for what you got. Instead I am working with Foy on a custom dinette to be centrepiece of trailer. Based on his pieces he and others have share he is a true craftsman.

Meg, if you are going to boondock 50% of the time you need solar. We don’t have a shower curtain and it is not an issue. You shower, turn the fan on, squeegee and wipe down, done. A shower curtain is not going to reduce moisture, the length of your shower and bathroom ventilation will. We have a 2000 watt generator and it will run our AC. We tend to avoid hot weather, so we haven’t had the need to run the AC off the generator much. The generator is mainly to charge the batteries when the weather is rainy and cloudy. We use our microwave occasionally. It just depends on how you like to cook. Good luck! Mike

Meg, Being a fairly new Oliver owner (less than a year) I can tell you we have used our microwave on a few stormy camping nights to heat homemade soups, chili’s, hot cereal and meals in general. We were so glad to have it. We actually upgraded to the convection/micro. I can honestly say we are reeeeally happy to have had it. And like Bill said no credit returned for opting out on the micro. We also thought about resale down the road as we chose specific options. Just another view point. Enjoy your time selecting options! - Patriot

Meg - First and most important - Welcome! I do not have a shower curtain in my Elite II. Given the smooth walls of the Ollie, it is very easy to simply use a squeegee and/or a synthetic towel to dry the shower after use - about a two minute job. The Easy Start allows you to run the air conditioner off a small generator (2000 watts). If you are going to seriously boondock in hot climates then the Easy Start is something you should seriously consider unless you want to have a generator of at least 3500 watts. No, the microwave is not "permanent" and since Oliver doesn't give you a credit for it if you chose to not have it then I think you might as well get it. However, if you are certain that you really don't want it then the "finished" cabinet is very nice for either a small toaster oven or small microwave or for additional storage that is already fairly limited in the Elite I. Bill

How times have changed. Our connectivity was so limited in Canada in 2008/9. Now, one if our phones (Verizon and tmobile) works about anywhere that actually has signal. And free for certain services.

Agreed. I plan on doing a full review at some point with more detail and descriptions. I loved seeing photos like this when I was considering a purchase so I just wanted to dump them in an unorganized fashion for the time being. Yeah, I was bummed when I saw this too. I'd be curious to know if all of the new ones are like this and why. Practically zero heats makes it to the bathroom even with one of the vents completely closed. The person wielding the caulk gun should probably have their privileges revoked. It is a train wreck in almost every out of sight location. At least stuff like that can easily be resolved in the future. 😁

Thanks for posting, some of the locations are a complete mystery to me. It is helpful to add an “annotation” text description in those cases. This is disheartening, I would have expected better than this Rat’s Nest. That looks just how mine did in 2017.... including way too long cables. And this? Does installing the black dump valve angled across the middle of the ONLY decent storage area in the front of the trailer make any sense at all? This is what mine looks like, the valve is hard up against the rear wall. And mine came with smily faces everywhere (inspection marks)... If I had a new trailer with that black valve location and a Natures Head, removing the thing would be my very first mod. Kinked duct means a cold bathroom: And WTH? This is just sad - the sealant should go on the bolt shank and underneath the washer, not globbed on top after installation. Oh well, if wishes were fishes we would all cast nets. At least there are still things to complain about, if these trailers were perfect, what would we talk about except tow vehicles, grills and campsites?😬 John Davies Spokane WA

We're happy with it and haven't found any major issues. I plan to do a full review after we complete a few trips. I was surprised to see that too. Some of it has already pulled off. Taping over fiberglass dust doesn't work very well. 🤪 Every unnecessary hole and screw through the fiberglass is hard to swallow (I'm picky). The vent for the furnace seems crazy so I assume some regulation is forcing them to do it that way. I'm really happy with them so far. The bluetooth app is better than most. Lithionics is also the new supplier for Xantrex's lifepo4 battery line. Yeah, it is pretty uniform other than to the right of the attachment point in the closet (photo below). I'm not sure if this is normal or was an oversight. I believe that is an exterior wall but it is really hard to see anything other than some exposed fiberglass.

Thanks - great photos. They'll be a useful reference for you later. Some comments: First thought is that the trailers are being delivered much cleaner than they used to be, which is great to see. Some of the wiring still looks like a mess, but I'm glad to see that they're using lever nut style connectors now, which should make repairs, diagnosis, and upgrades easier. I hate that they're still using gorilla tape to hold down wiring. And they're not zip tying the ends of their wire wrap to prevent it from coming off. I still see *sharp* screw ends poking inside the hull near wiring. The new batteries are pretty cool. It looks like they're doing a good job with the new insulation, cutting it tightly around obstacles and taping the seams.

Since I figured that I had nothing to lose - I simply listed the campground and dates I wanted and then sat back and let Wanderinglabs do the work for me. Frankly I was a bit surprised when I got an email from them saying that reservations had opened up and even more surprised when making the reservation worked exactly as they claimed. Bill p.s. The campground that I reserved is a National Forest Service campground north of Cody, WY.

I agree COE projects have beautiful campgrounds. When we are not boondocking our first choice is a COE campground.

We have a an ARB portable - it really makes a difference- we use it for the liquids, (beer, soda, H2O) and anything that just doesn't fit well into the Dometic. Quite honestly, it makes a real difference the longer trips. It runs off DC/AC, and the solar more than keeps up. My SO hates it - says it takes up to much room - yet praises the utility - push - I say. I need to leave it in the rear of the Truck, and all will be well. As Overland stated - as long as my Dometic runs to design, I am fine with it. Not worth a change until it dies - in a decade - or two.....

I would love to see a larger fridge/freezer in the EII. Would it even be possible to place the convection microwave under the sink/stove area? I know those six drawers are wonderful, but losing 2 (or 3) wouldn't be that bad, would it? Just a thought.

“Witnesses said the truck appeared to lose control before the crash, first swerving to hit the right shoulder barrier before sliding over the left-side guardrail. The truck then tipped over the bridge, with the camper blocking both lanes of the bridge.” https://www.foxnews.com/us/rescuers-pickup-deep-idaho-gorge I would like to hear the details about what happened before they jack knifed.... John Davies Spokane WA