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On the day I retired, this song replayed over and over in my mind for several hours. 🙂

Here is a draft delivery checklist prompted, in part, by comments regarding a recent inverter-mount failure (see below). This delivery inspection checklist began with one used by NCeagle for his delivery, to which I've added items. The list is almost certainly incomplete -- what other items would you suggest to help new buyers? Thanks to Oliver for providing this educational ad-free forum, and to all of you for your forum posts that have contributed to this list. This open-dialogue forum is IMHO a huge asset to the OliverOllie Inspection Checklist (draft 4-9-2021).pdf travel trailer brand. I divided the list into two parts: (1) the actual delivery day inspection and (2) items for further inspection at DCSP. I plan on testing the list in 3 weeks when we pick up Hull 792, and will refine the list based on this experience (and with your additions, suggestions, comments, etc). The list is in pdf form. Once updated, I'd be happy to send out (or post) an xlsx version.

Our Zip Dee Chairs are close to 25 + years old and we are still using them everytime we go camping. We did however just get new Dark Blue Sunbella covers for them to match our Oliver's new color scheme. Since we wouldn't leave home without them, we had to find a convenient place to store them. The attached pics shows our Chair Holder, which also holds our umbrellas inside the closet. The first pic shows just the Holder & umbrellas, second pic show the Holder with 1 chair, the third pic show the Holder with 2 chairs and the Sink's Cutting Board slide next to the chair. The original plan was to use Velcro to hold the Holder to the Closet's wall, but it fit snugly without velcro. I put a little Teak Oil on the Wood Arms Pads and Waxed the SS Frame, they look new, good for at least another 25 years. BTW, these chairs are the most comfortable chairs we have ever used. Now onto the next items on the "Honey Do List," a Bike Rack-Teak Table (with ComPass Rose) for the Dinette, Teak Pantry & Microwave Counter, and of course finish the Teak Nightstand Pull Out Table, just to mention a few!

I voted. I ordered a new 2021 F250 because I knew I would have payload issues. I also didn't want to deal with the Andersen hitch although I know many people that use one have connecting it / disconnecting it down to a science. My truck will have the same payload (3,334 lbs) and can tow 15,000 lbs with the 7.3L engine. It will also come with sway control. Based on all that I've read, sway doesn't appear to be much of a concern towing either model with an appropriate sized tow vehicle. Somewhat relevant to other posts in this thread, my wife insisted on a bigger tow vehicle because that made her feel better. She has also read enough of the Andersen Hitch threads on the forum to not want any part of dealing with it. I will miss my Tundra because of its exceptional reliability and un-truck like ride but I know the F250 will tow our Ollie like it's not even there.

The below pics show the bottom of the Pull out table, note the Finger/Prop Cut outs, and the Underneath Support Prop required when the Table is exceeded to 19 inches-not required at 15 inches. The pics showing the Table extended is at 19 inches, we don't use it at that position, not needed, 15 inches is perfect.

It's raining here. Watching the swirling winds. At least it's filling the cistern. We're nice and dry on the deck, undercover. From my childhood. I hear this song in my head, when it rains.

Thanks for this good advice, John. Yep, shocks are good. And I'm glad you clarified exactly what I am supposed to leave at home! 🤣

Imelda, Used to us a Bowtie TV antenna mounted on an old camera tripod that worked well. If you look closely, tied a weight on the tripod to keep the rig from blowing over during windy conditions. It stored easily with folding tripod legs. Handy for local TV reception. Edit: Use two Bowtie antennas for local TV reception at home receiving about 40 channels 20 miles from Charlotte NC:

We store our trailer in a covered space but otherwise open to the elements. It gets pretty hot here in the San Antonio area during summer (April - September, 90’s to low 100’s). The other 6 months aren’t as extreme, but we still have some hot days. After 5+ years we’ve had no heat damage. I would not worry about the Louisiana heat.

First Road Trip comments. Overall our GL 450 and Oliver proved to be a very nice combination! I was somewhat worried about the TW (Limited to 600lbs) but actual TW measurements using a TW Scale show 580 lbs loaded. The combination worked exceptionally well, smooth and straight as could be. Unfortunately we were in a hurry and found ourselves cruising at 70-75 MPH, which is to fast, IMHO. We were getting 13 Plus MPG and found more than enough power through the mountains of KY/Tenn. We need experience the normal problems Hitching Up, but after several attempts we settled into a workable procedure that seems to work. Our Anderson Hitch has the newest Updated Parts, i.e. Bat Wing/Ball etc. The first Test Drive ( 1 mile) did produce a Light Feel in the Front Axle of the GL 450, so I tighten the Chain Adjusters exactly 1/2 turn tighter. To my surprise this produced a very satisfactory feel/ride. I noticed the previous owner did not have any Lube on the Chain Adjuster Threads (dry) which made them very hard to turn. I put light grease on the threads which made them easy to turn, even when fully loaded. I was surprised that only a 1/2 Turn made a Night & Day difference in the Weight Transfer to the Front Axle of the TV, I wouldn't have expected this! I was very skeptical about the Anderson Hitch when we were first introduced to it, but after using it for a while I guess it is OK. However, if another option was available I probably would take it. This is because of the difficulty Hitch it up! Other WD Hitches are easier to Hook Up in my opinion.

Thanks for doing this Fritz. Nice Job. I have printed both lists (yours and mine) and will compare over coffee tomorrow morning. From first glance it looks complete. I'll pass along any adds I may have which would be of interest to any new owner.

The only possible benefit from a Andersen for a 7500 pound (loaded) HD truck is jounce control - loosen the nuts so there is zero chain tension for your next trip. If you don’t notice any increased choppiness on a rough highway, tell her afterwards what you did and then leave it at home on the next trip. Leave the hitch, not the wife😊 A HD truck with blown rear shocks would definitely ride better with the Andersen, are yours OK? Have her Message me and I will be glad to talk to her for you..... John Davies Spokane WA

Elite I Oliver Owners, Jason confirmed with their QC/Engineering department that the LE1 trailers should have 1.5" of upward travel. Therefore the upward travel on our trailer was not within the design specs. Jason offered to have our trailer inspected by their shop or a local provider to determine what might be our issue. Upon further discussion with Jason and a few more photos sent to him, we quickly determined the source of our issue was the incorrect Dexter Heavy Duty Kit Shackle was used on our single axle setup. The correct shackle kit (K71358) has shackles that are 4 5/8" in length whereas ours was the shackles you would have used on a dual axle trailer with a length of ~ 3 5/8". Ergo, our trailer is sitting ~ 1" lower that it should. I requested he send me the correct kit with new bolts, nuts, bushings, and shackles for me to install sometime next week. My best guess is someone in the factory just picked up the wrong shackles and installed. I am sure Jason will provide them with the feedback required to establish a QC process that inspects this area so it never happens again. I would however, recommend other 2020 LE1 owners out there inspect their shackles to ensure the correct ones were used on their trailers.

We just pick up our 2019 Elite 2 and Towed it home with our 2015 Mercedes GL 450, equipped with 4 Wheel Air Suspension. Note, this vehicle is limited to 600 LBS of Tongue Weight. I was apprehensive about Towing with this combination, primarily because I didn't have any experience with the Andersen Hitch characteristics and its ability to transfer enough Tongue Weight to the TV's Front Axles. Andersen has told me that their Hitch can transfer up tp 30% to the Front Axle of the TV. In preparation for the "Tow," I measured and marked, 34 inches up from the ground to a Mark, above each wheel on the fender, while the vehicle was unloaded! The plan was to then take new measurements once the Trailer was hooked up and compare the two measurements to determine what affect the Tongue Weight had. BTW, the empty TW was 480LBS, plus the 60 LBS of Hitch Weight, which is what Oliver told me to expect. Naturally, I expected the Rear End of the TV to be lower with the added weight! However, believe it or not there was hardly any Difference, maybe 1/8 - 1/4 across all 4 wheels! Apparently, the Andersen Hitch and the Air Suspension did their job exceptionally well. Additionally, I set the "Ball Height" at the recommended 23.5 Inches, but this produced a slight "Nose Up" attitude of the trailer. I'll try to lower the Hitch's Head, one bolt hole and take another look. Finally, I calculated my fuel mileage at 13.5 MPG, while driving at 70 MPH on the interstate for 150 miles. At this point, I have to conclude that the combination of the GL 450 and the Oliver is going to be a good one!

If you want to check out the Nashville area, the following is a great spot to stay for a few nights, it is on the shore of a lake (busy boat traffic during the day, quiet at night) and really close to east Nashville. Check out the city zoo, it is quite nice, and the most excellent Lane Motor Museum. Both are a short drive away. The museum has room in back for an Ollie, I parked “Mouse” there for half a day. The zoo, nope. Nashville drivers drive fast and are quite aggressive, stay off the freeways and you will be fine. Anderson Road Campground, J Percy Priest Reservoir We spent two nights in Henry Horton SP while our 2006 Ram Cummins was getting an unexpected complete hydraulic system transplant ($4000!) in nearby Columbia. HH seemed very nice, fairly laid back and quiet compared to Fall Creek Falls, which is a complete madhouse in summer. If you do decide to stay there, be sure to hike back to Fall Creek Falls itself, it is pretty impressive for an East Coast waterfall 😬. Just be sure to approach the Park from the southwest (Hwy 284) not from the northwest (through Spencer), that Hwy 30 is a steep twisty nightmare with a trailer. It sure is fun in a sports car.... John Davies Spokane WA

Well said.

In case you missed it. Cover song that does the original more than justice.

Henry Horton SP in TN is gorgeous per a friend there now.

That's a great resource, @Jim_Oker I used a similar one setting up my mom's antenna in Missouri, years ago. At least you know how many channels to expect, with the best. God bless your uncle, the tree climber.

I have an antenna with a similar design as the one SeaDawg posted (the one with the two circles) on the roof of my house that does well for us in getting our local stations (we also shun cable service at home though they still get our $$ as our only choice for high speed internet...). Different antenna designs optimize for different situations. If you are expecting to be far from the broadcast towers for instance you may want to get something that you can aim toward that city out there somewhere and pull in a far away signal with a tight-beam type antenna whereas if you're near urban areas a wide angle antenna that has less range may be just the ticket. BTW I had an uncle who installed antennas in rural western MA when I was a kid and one thing he stressed was that higher was always better. He was *really* good at climbing trees which is where he'd often end up putting antennas for clients, with big cable runs back to the house. This page goes into a bit more detail on the various categories of antenna along with a bit of additional info to help dispel myths about needing to spend a ton for "digital TV capable" antennas and such. Elsewhere on the site you can type in a zip code to  find  out where the nearby towers are, which is super helpful if you are trying to figure out where to aim directional antennas.

Bill, you raise a lot of good points. It seems, however, that most people with 3/4 ton tow vehicles have opted to remove the Andersen hitch. I wonder if there is really a "definitive" answer on the usefulness of an Andersen hitch on 3/4 ton TV's???

I have had excellent success with this product in removing the black “weeping” streaks. I spray it on a soft new clean micro fiber cloth sparingly and it removes the black streaks quickly. I then follow up with waxing the entire area. So far so good. This may or may not work for your application, but worth a try. -Patriot

Dewdev, your trailer is pretty new, but the previous owner may not have waxed it as often as you and I would. That allows stains and dirt to set into the gelcoat. As Pat said, it's porous. If you only have hard water stains, I'd start with the least cost and least harmful liquid treatments. Have you tried white vinegar? Soak a paper towel, slap it on a stain, let it sit, and see if it works. Then rinse it off . You can also try scrubbing it with vinegar and a soft microfiber cloth. Oliver uses a really good marine quality gelcoat. I'd be really surprised to find that you would need to resort to rubbing compound or wet sanding on a three year old trailer. There are as many opinions about proper gel coat maintenance as there are boats, I think. But everyone seems to agree, get the fiberglass really clean, then protect it with a really good wax or coating. Look to Practical Sailor for advice. They test products repeatedly, and also report back on longevity .

I would run a small dehumidifier as opposed to the ac. It will use significantly less power.. Like Bill, I use a damprid type of tub in the bath and kitchen sink. The ones from the dollartree ($1) work fine.

I'd guess that a "rubbing compound" is a bit too aggressive at this point. I'd start with just a simple polish of your choice followed by the wax as you mention. Bill

Independent suspension should be a factory option. I want this suspension and do not want to go Overlanding. The suspension isolates the cabin from vibrations. MORyde is another company who makes them. I have never seen this product in-person but the benefit is less vibration so less wear and tear.

I used an Andersen when towing my Elite II with a Tacoma and Ram 1500. When I got my Ram 2500, I removed the Andersen from my trailer. I’ve done several thousand miles now without the Andersen and have not had any issues at all. On the positive side, it is much easier to hitch up. Weight distribution is not necessary with the 2500, I only get an inch or so of drop when I hitch up. Sway has not been an issue either.

Thanks for the info!!! But I may want you to tell her................. 😏

It is no different than steel, it just needs a lighter hammer blow. As you said, practice on some 6061-T6 scrap (not dead soft aluminum) until you get a feel for the amount of force needed. Tape a guide to where you plan to mark the frame. Something quite thick works well (tall enough off the frame to guide the top part of a punch, not the tapered tip). Lay the punches so they rest on the guide, they will stay nice and even. If you are anal, you will put a piece of masking tape onto the guide bar, with reference marks at the same distance as the punch width, so the number spacing will be equal. If you are really truly ANAL, you will write the VIN on the tape, so you do not accidentally punch the wrong digit or skip one..... this is me talking. 😬 I personally won’t hold a punch in my fingers, needle-nosed vise grip pliers would be my choice, or this .... Willams Punch and Chisel Holder.... plus a heavy steel ball peen (machinist) hammer. Post pics, this is interesting.... John Davies Spokane WA

Qm, really glad your problem will be resolved, and very sorry it happened. I'm glad that you reported this to Oliver, and were patient and persistent in your quest for a response. Some things do take time, to get the right answer. Opening a ticket is an important first step. Discloses issues to Oliver, so they can be resolved. It helps keep the best "best." No one can fix an unknown issue.

I will chime in because I went with Dicor lap sealant non leveling. I applied it to the under side of the outside mount frame and put it in the opening with four bolts in place. Then I put the inside mount frame in place and hand tightened the nuts with very little force. This assured me the all was lined up properly. I smooth out what squeezed out by dipping my finger in water and forming a bead around the frame. I let this sit for 24 hours before installing the ac. When I torqued the bolt to 9 ft lbs I looked up on top and saw a couple spots where my formed bead had some small bulges but I'm satisfied that I have a good seal. When time permits I'm planing to write up my version of this AC install.

That's a good question. Are you in the shade, or under cover? We're in Florida, so somewhat similar climate. We remove cushions for long storage, or at least prop up on end for short storage. I remove just about everything, in bins, at end of season, for winter. Foam in cushions can get "crunchy " over the years, in heat. We found this out with our boat, so those are also removed, off season. We typically leave the bath door open, bath vent partially open, and our FanTastic fan on a low setting, with that vent partially open. We have a hood over the fan, so rain can't come in. I open the drawers an inch or so, so that air can circulate. My main goal is to make sure the trailer can breathe. We have shade, most of the day, from our home, and our neighbor's two story. And, their palm trees. I think you mentioned something in an earlier post about building a shade awning? That will definitely help.

I voted. I’m towing with a Ford F-250. I don’t use the Andersen. My F-250, while generically called a 3/4 ton under the accepted truck classification naming, has an actual payload rating of 3,334 lbs. so I could easily carry 1 ton of payload and still have plenty of extra left over. My truck as optioned will tow 12,600 lbs and a tongue weight rating of 1,250 lbs. so no Andersen needed for weight distribution, and the truck has electronic trailer sway control as part of the towing package so I don’t need the Andersen for anti-sway either. The dual axle Elite II has proven to be very stable when towing. I’ve never noticed the slightest problem with trailer sway.

We have a Parkit 360, and we've used it for a number of years. I hold my breath every time. It's an older model, no brake connection. We bought it used. Their model nomenclature was different then. It's an L or XL. We typically use it to get it out of the sideyard and gates, just far enough that the drive hasn't begun the steep incline. Then we chock the trailer, jack it up, and back up my Silverado to finish the drive, and back it up to the garage. We're only allowed a few days in the drive, in our community. (We just did this again, a week ago.) The older parkit is clumsy and wobbly, and difficult to attach to the bulldog, and maneuver safely. I'm considering buying the new attachment available , which would move the connection point back a bit. You might be interested in this fairly recent thread:

We saw Lyle Lovett at a George Strait concert in Las Vegas a couple years ago. He’s eccentric but good.

Well, Mr. Snowball - that is music I would never have heard - but for your Friday follies. Interesting stuff for certain. Here is an artist I haven't seen mentioned here -. Double cheeseburger for me. I get one once a quarter. RB

The calendar says that I'm scheduled to impose my musical taste on you guys. Yes, New Music Friday. Are we excited? We are excited. I mean, just look at this guy - 🕺 Starting off, as always, with some Russian electro pop - • And then jump right in to whatever we call this - goth grunge house? My wife will love it. • iTunes tells me this just came out but YouTube says it's a year old. I'll allow it - just a really nice meld of western and eastern melodies. • I admit I do not listen to a lot of non-russian pop, but this found it's way into my library this week. Maybe it's not really pop. Maybe it's actually Russian? • Just kidding about only listening to Russian pop. I also like French pop. • ...and of course French-Senagalese Pop Hip Hop. I think this is also a few months old but, also allowed - • Billy Nomates. I love Bily Nomates - • I understand a few of you are boomers. So you may like Paul McCartney? I've heard of him - he was with Wings, right? • Finally, to make up for those two maybe older songs, here's one (don't call it techno, it's not techno) that got released literally two hours ago. Fresh!

requiring Duragloss application

I became an expert at our Sailing Club, for my ability to bring back to life the most neglected Fiberglass Sailboat imaginable! It has been my experience that the most important ingredient is often the most overlooked and it free. Any guesses? It simply Elbow Grease! Your best defence in keeping your Oliver looking like new is to keep it Clean, I mean really cleaned, then Waxed and Polished with a Power Buffer. In extreme cases Wet Sanding maybe required before various levels of Rubbing Compound and then Waxing/Polishing. It called Detailing!

For anyone camping where violent weather can happen, this is a very handy reference. It also has some stunning pictures and diagrams. They are high res, zoom in on that page and they look great. Here is a low res screen capture: Weather Spotter’s Field Guide I downloaded it and saved it to my Books application. Go to the file and rename it so that you can find it later, the actual file name is bizarre. FYI a Weather Spotter is a trained observer who sends in reports of violent weather; if I lived in a more remote area I would sign up. There are already plenty of spotters in my area. https://www.weather.gov/otx/Spotter_Resource_Page John Davies Spokane WA

Another thought for the simple installation. I installed Battle Born batteries before ever camping in our new trailer. I keep the AC breaker to the converter/charger off at all times and charge the batteries almost exclusively from solar. I have only used the converter/charger to charge the batteries twice, when we camped in full shade for more than six days. When I did, I turned the breaker to the converter/charger on and charged from a generator, until the batteries were at about 100% and then turned it off. I can’t imagine this very infrequent use of the converter/charger will have any negative impact on the batteries. I must say I like keeping it as simple as possible and rarely even carry the generator. Andrew

I'm in agreement, that there is a real need for a drop and go LI upgrade. You can in fact do a drop in LI's if you have the PD4060 with LI setting in your Oliver and be down the road pretty quickly. I planned to do that as well but I decided after research to upgrade to a smart charger/inverter along with the new LI batteries. Backdrop: Trailer manufacturers (including Oliver) are shifting rapidly away from the older "CONVERTER" technology as typical from Progressive Dynamics to newer Smart Charger/Inverters as they provide more benefits to customers and programmable profiles for Lead Acid, AGM and Lithium's which all can have different profiles. They are also looking at newer trailer control and wiring schemas to have touch control centers for all loads, batteries, solar etc. The benefits to the customers are single points of control for the multiple systems, and for the Trailer Mfrs a reduction in the time to integrate and wire up the trailer systems. My current hull 505 (2019 EII): has a PC charge converter and a separate 2000W Prosine Inverter My Load Center is from Progressive Dynamics, is the PD4000 line, and under the dinette seat. (Covers off the load center) That power center includes the AC Breakers, about half the DC Fuses and the the PD converter model PD4060K which has a charge wizard for Lead Acid/AGM battery charging and and a built in Lithium Setting Switch. That LI Switch on the PD Converter when set, outputs a constant 14.6 v, but is NOT a smart charger by any means. I also have a separate Xantrex ProWatt 2000 pure-sine inverter. Battery Shopping : As I shopped for batteries I started with Battleborn support and learned a few things about LI battery charge profiles. They are different for each chemistry, and each battery manufacturer and each battery management system (BMS) has it's own specific charge profile that is "BEST" for battery cycle life. Battleborn said their products will work well with the Progressive Dynamics Converters that have the Lithium Setting, but they said at the end that the ideal setup is to have a SMART charger with a customer settable Lithium Charge profile. They encouraged me to consider upgrading my charger if I had the budget and space to a smart charger....but said the LI setting would work. Smart Charger ? to PD: My next call was Progressive Dynamics Support to find out if they had a newer LI smart profile converter that would plug into the PD4000 load center...no joy. Speaking with Andy (Svc Mgr) at Progressive Dynamics I learned that the PD Converter units on LI setting outputs a constant 14.6V to the batteries. Andy said they do not have an available LI specific smart charge wizard from PD for the basic converters in the PD4000 load center. A smart LI wizard would drop from 14.6 bulk charge back to a LI Specific float voltage around 13.4. Andy said while they don't have a plug in converter with smart lithium profiles yet. He closed by saying the PD 4060 unit works to bulk charge Lithium you may not be Optimally Charging and delivering the longest life for the new LI battery. Oliver's newer choice - Inverter Charger combos: What I also learned, is that in the newer inverter/chargers Oliver is using like the Xantrex XC 2000 or XC 3000 , (or Victron Inverter Chargers) they include a smart programmable battery charger specifically designed to be able to set a lithium profile to exactly match whichever battery specs are provided by the Battery Manufacturer. This charger replaces the former PD4060 converter section. In the 2021 and newer trailers Oliver no longer uses PD4000 energy center. Oliver has moved ahead to the newer technology of smart inverter chargers. The Benefit of these smart inverter/chargers are much longer battery life for the Lithiums while also delivering inverted power to the trailer. Summary: So while I know I could do a simple drop in of Battleborn's into the Oliver with the PD 4060 Converters set to LI and add the "victron smart shunt" , I found that the end result will be a LI battery pair with a somewhat reduced overall life. Finally when I then spoke with Lithionics directly about my upgrade, they said they would prefer that I upgrade to a smart charger and away from the PD4060 converter as they don't meet the charge profile that would provide the longest useful life of the Lithionics batteries. Hope that's interesting to those who are following this thread. Craig

Depends on where you camp. Most of the cute, little antennas only have a very short range. I experimented at my mom's house in Missouri, years ago, with 7 or 8 different brands of antennas, when she wanted to drop cable, but still wanted to see local news, pbs, and shark tank. This one won. Since then, I've purchased four or five on ebay (refurbished returns) for 40 bucks or so. One for me, the trailer, my daughter, a friend, and a spare. We don't have cable, either, at home. Streaming, or the antenna, is fine for us. I've tested it with the Oliver, but never actually used it camping, as we don't turn the TV on. I also have a little flat rca, probably good for 30 miles or so. It's 10 years old,, or so. It worked in certain areas. Fit nicely in the attic. The ClearStream would require a temporary outside mount of some sort. Too big for inside the Oliver.