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Congratulations you two! I too am waiting for my October delivery. I am sure the Ollie will be worth the wait. Keep us posted on your preparation and delivery. Do you have any trips planned for the new rig? May seems to be the perfect time for delivery since it is the beginning of the travel season. I have never been to Connecticut but I sure want to travel to the NE for the fall colors some year soon! The people on this forum are great. I learn something new everytime I check in. Have fun! Carl

EDIT 05/10/21: related thread: ... https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3247-how-to-external-solar-dc-power-cable-using-factory-furrion-port/ Some background.... most panels will come with “industry standard” MC4 connectors, which can be used with up to 10 AWG wire and are waterproof. But if you have one disconnected and drop it in the dirt it will fill with crud, so you would need to spray that out with contact cleaner or alcohol. Anderson Powerpoles are used extensively in ham radio and other applications, they are not at all waterproof, but they are self cleaning by design, the spring loaded contacts "wipe" each other when you plug them in. They are more compact and they are color coded. The connectors are goof proof, they cannot be plugged in backwards. For this application the 30 amp bonded pair connectors are appropriate for the wire size. You must use their ratcheting crimper or a version of it. I replaced every existing MC4 connector with the Powerpoles. My 100 watt Renogy solar suitcase came with the PWM controller mounted on a hinged flap, this is perfectly fine if the panel is to be used say 10 feet away, but you cannot place it much further because resistance losses along the wires will reduce the charging voltage at the batteries. The controller reduces the 18 to 20 volt panel voltage to say 14.5 volts, and it is less at the trailer. Ideally the controller should be located RIGHT at the batteries, and the panel itself can be far away. The (almost) full panel voltage is delivered to the controller, and at that point the controller reduces that value to charge your system. How far away you can place it depends on the wire gauge, the bigger the wire, the less voltage drop along the run (you must calculate the two wires as a pair, the "in and back" distance). I happened to have some of these neat MTM in-safe storage boxes, the small size fits beautifully. The price is for three, they also have a 12" long version if you want a little more internal volume). I mounted the controller using long 1/8" pop rivets with washers. I drilled a couple of 3/8" holes at each end so the cables could be fed through and the lid closed. It is not at all waterproof, but it is splash proof. The controller itself is advertised as "rainproof". (Older versions were NOT.) I color coded the connectors with self adhesive heat shrink tubing so that when swapping them it would be clear which was which. I modified my existing Furrion solar port harness (used with my ARB fridge in the truck) by splicing in a short pigtail. The wire is 12 AWG solar cable, for exterior use. It is very tough but not very flexible. In this pic, the solar panel is 20 feet away, and the controller box is tucked up on top of the front tire, for rain protection and so it won't get stepped on. The BAT lead is fully extended (not coiled inside). The charging section for my ARB fridge is coiled up when not needed (or it could be used as an extra 5 foot extension, if the fridge is not being used): Or the box can be placed on the ground: Or connected directly to a battery using the supplied alligator clips. You can add an additional 20 feet of cable, 40 feet total, it doesn't affect the charging amps.: I added strain relief ties to reduce stresses on the screw connections. Everything, including the extension cables, fits in the folded unit. I will hopefully get to test this in a few days, I will be camping in a shady site, if the sun shines I can try it out. John Davies Spokane WA

Hello from CT. We are Jeff and Katie. Just a few weeks away from our delivery date in mid May of an Oliver Elite II. First time owning a travel trailer so we've been doing a lot of reading on the forum. We took a couple of years researching other brands and made our final decision after taking the Oliver factory tour. Cant wait to join this group and get out on the road this year.

5000 pounds towing is sufficient. We took our le1 home with a 2004 Volvo xc90, similar tow rating. We felt it in the hills. Otherwise, ok. We never towed in the mountains with the xc90, expecting it to be a poorer choice than my 5.3, 2005 Silverado. My concern would be the tongue weight rating. If that's still 350 with the all wheel drive, you're going to have to be careful about weight up front, even in the relative flats. Our tongue weight, no basket, loaded for camping, is 320, at the scale. That's a pretty close margin. Just things to think about. I don't know where you live, but I would say, I don't think I'd like to take your vehicle through the western mountains. Eastern US, probably ok, but annoying on high hills, even if you watch loading, because of the tongue weight limitation. I would say, the Pilot is probably ok, but marginal. Enough to get home, explore locally, and find the TV you want.

Anyone else been eyeing the cold boxes that they're shipping the vaccines in and thinking there's bound to be bunch on eBay in about a year?

I am camped at Kettle Falls (Lake Roosevelt COE) campground and the solar exposure is not great in the afternoon due to trees, so I set up the Renogy panel in a bright spot using 40 feet of cable. No worries, I am seeing a steady 6.5 to 6.8 amps, and the big rooftop ones are only putting out half that, and it is highly variable. Yay, I am pleased. Highly recommended mod! John Davies Spokane WA

Congratulations on your new Ollie! You started with the best.

Great price. At that rate you can buy about 22 of them and still be cheaper than the new battery solar option Oliver offers🤪

We replaced our Duralast batteries on delivery, but I just checked and one of them is still holding the garage storage room door tightly shut. So, that's at least three years of useful life. Hoping to get at least two more.

Where to begin. The ball doesn’t lock under the coupler well enough, which makes the unit flop around making it un stable. The grab handle flips down when your trying to turn putting on the brake. The wheels require air like a wheel barrel they always go flat the tires are so small difficult to fill and they require 70 psi for a small tire. Just forget the hand crank unless you have hours of time. Slow and exhausting You need at least a18v elec drill to get it to move hold on tight or it will give you a wrist snap. Also the whole unit is low to the ground you have to bend over while trying to maneuver, very uncomfortable hard on the back. So if your still not convinced, I have one for sale cheep, used once.