Leaderboard

The week of June 7, 2021 there will be upwards of 10 Elite and Elite II Maine owned Oliver Camping Trailers camping at the Lobster Buoy Campground in South Thomaston, Maine. Individuals that are considering purchasing a new Oliver Trailer can come by to meet and talk to the owners. Checking in at the campground office first is necessary.

We spent last week out at the coast of the Olympic National Park at the Kalaloch Beach campground, which is "dry camping" (no hookups) i.e. "boondocking" for the sake of this thread. We scored a sweet bluff-edge site overlooking the beach. The campground is currently "first come first served" but changes to reserved sites later today or tomorrow as they start their "high season" policy. Hopefully it will remain FFS in the off season forever as it's a nice place to head to in the colder months (which often aren't *that* much colder out at our coast versus in summer!) when the forecast is half decent. I miss the degree of spontaneity we used to have and hope we retain at least some of that forever!! There's lots to do in the area both along the shore as well as inland in the temperate evergreen rainforest which has some HUGE trees and tangled undergrowth and wildlife and water lots and lots of water. I hope folks don't mind the major photo dump - I had time on my hands and a few options for cameras 😄 Oh, and dogs are allowed on the beaches near Kalaloch, and there are a few trails in the adjacent National Forest near Lake Quinault where you can take them as well. Otherwise they are not allowed on trails in the National Park around there though.

Camped earlier this week at David Crockett Birthplace State Park TN in North East TN. It was in the upper 80s close to 90 some days. Found a shady campsite in the small RV area to make it pleasant. Campsites are close together in this area, but really enjoyed the shady trees. It's a beautiful mountainous area. Debbie feeding a donkey at the Crockett home-place.

We usually stop at Clines Corners on our way to/from Durango. Maybe you can find a new pocket knife? 😎

Ok i had to pick one of the highest $$ today. As everyone was hi priced today. As an aside -since I was a little pup I have had memories of a place called "Clines Corners". I once had a CC pocket knife - long ago lost. So for some reason I seem to stop in on my westward trekking. It is nothing special. But we stop. Go figure 🤔

My awning does the same always has. I crank it to the end back off a half turn and then back in it goes right in. I tried the little bit of adjust available with no success.

What position do you have the tank selector lever set to? And just closing the valve on the tank won’t necessarily cause the indicator to change to red right away. If there is still enough propane pressure in the line the indicator will stay green. If you have both tank valves closed you can try turning on the stove to bleed off any propane still remaining in the lines and then see if the indicator turns red.

Perhaps some of the new will continue. Good to see. And maybe drive some investment in the industry. Across the board. Our outdoor parks have long been neglected. However let's get some of the inconsiderate pigs out here some corrective action. RB ⁹

San Jon municipal park. NM. Free. Has cleanest restrooms I've ever seen for a public place. Desert hot 90. Dry. Down to 61 so will be good. Windy. Weird traffic today. Woo hoo no $$$ no rez. Good day .

So it was Maummelle on the river last night. Tonight Oklahoma flatlands 35 west of OKC. Territory Route 66 RV. Small newer perfect. Fuel prices diesel from $2.75 to 335. We chose 275.

The morning coffee view. Persimmon CG.

On our most recent outing one of our battery tray latches failed. The pin on the left/fore side of the battery tray was totally missing as was the rivet/pin on which the rear of the latch pawl pivots. Fortunately I found the latch pawl itself loose in the battery compartment. Our temporary fix to get us home included tie wraps and, of course, duct tape to secure the latch pawl in place. The right (aft) side battery tray latch was not affected. Until such time we can arrange a permanent repair, I'm confident that our semi-permanent solution pictured below will serve to keep the tray secure. It consists of a stainless steel anchor shackle holding the latch pawl in place so that it cannot be raised whatsoever, thereby preventing the battery tray from sliding out. I found that the 3/16" shackle fits perfectly, with the anchor shackle pin fitting snugly in the holes. For reference the particular shackle I used is made by National Hardware, #N100-347 and available at Lowe's. Hopefully this information is helpful to those who may experience the same failure. Be safe everyone. - Brian

I attended the Non Rally last week and thought I would list, (not in any order) what I saw/learned from all the Oliver Guys/Gals I met. I made my list, starting on day one of things I thought would be of value to me, maybe others also. I don't have pictures of each of these, but maybe the "Guilty Parties" could follow up. On a personal note, I did experienced a Flat Tire on my TV, which needed a new tire. Also had an Andersen Hitch Link failure, which I'll cover separately. The Gas Shortage wasn't a big deal, but I did see several Stations that limited purchases. My list: 1. Reflective Red/Silver Tape on the lower parts of their Oliver, like you would see on a Semi Trailer, to improve visibility at night. Great Idea! 2. Motion Detector Lights mounted on all 4 sides of the trailer, I liked this idea to improve security. 3.Andersen Hitch Pin Handle, available from Tractor Supply, 8000 lbs capacity. This replaces the "Bat Wing Pin" and greatly assists in pulling the Pin in/out. 4. Mount a Level on the Front Basket or front of the trailer, that is visible in the TV's Back up Camera to assist in leveling (side-side). This tell you when you are level, without having to get out of the TV and checking several times. 5. Umbrella Storage PVC Tube mounted inside the door. 6. Entry Door Clear Window Kit, I go to add this. 7. Bed Mattresses, KTT or Southern or just Cushions, I am still on the fence! 8. Screen Door Towel Bar, of course. 9. Andersen Hitch Chains, Link or Dog Bone connectors? 10. Trailer Jack to change a Flat Tire. 11. Reverse the Window Shades to improve privacy! I've already done this! 12. Extra Back-Up Lights mounted on Back Bumper of the trailer. I likes this idea and plan on adding these. 13. Business Cards, great to exchange when you meet people. 14. LPG, Fire Pit. both Outland and Heiinger offer them. No wet wood to try to get to burn! 15. Apple/Sirius Radio added to the Oliver, must have. 16. Apparently the 2021 Olivers have added an extra 3 way Switch, in the lower Panty Cabinet to turn on/off the Courtesy lights, nice addition. Overall, the Non Rally was a big success, I understand there were 28 Olivers in attendance, very nice time. I look forward to next year's Rally!

Hello fellow travelers!! New year-New Day- Where did Ollie stay today -we are winging it - almost all flipping trip. As the Memphis I 40 bridge has traffic a little slow - we left a day earlier and went by way of West Helena Arkansas, Never been here before -so -why not - And then up to our next stop, and a few more - on the way to Park AZ. So a few strokes on Rec.gov and we snagged a great spot on Enid Lake Mississippi. Persimmon Hill CG is another wonderful COE facility with a geezer pass $12. Spot 50 - on the end of the point - overlooking the lake. Well kept and many miles of park roads to ride/walk. Well worth the time if you are in the area. I hope many will contribute to this 2021 Summer posting. I am going to try to keep it going - depending on the digital domain availability. Verizon that is ------- Our loosely made plans - are to traverse the heartland - I-40 until we hit the in-laws home at 7500 ft' - stay awhile then head out - to ????. And where are you my fine fiber glassed friends? To steal from the Who - Where are you, where where - tell me- where are you- because I really want to know.... On the road again, RB,CB and the Dog. And to edit - fuel prices went up in AL, and down in Mississippi. Interesting - must be the tax base.

My version of Houghton AC install. Start out by cutting 120 volt power to AC and 12 volt power to furnace. Next remove the plenum of the Dometic Penguin II on the inside of the Oliver. This will expose a group of wires that are in a black sheath, these are the control side of the wiring for the AC. These go to a LCD relay board that controls Cool/Furnace/Heat Strip that is mounted up in the AC. You will also see a metal electrical 4" x 2" Handy Box that will have the 120 volt power supply for the AC. Both sets of wires can then be disconnected and the four bolts holding the AC on can be removed, this allows you to remove the AC from the roof of Oliver. The Houghton AC will not be using the Dometic thermostat that's mounted on the wall because it comes with a remote but your furnace still needs the wall thermostat which works with the LCD Relay Board. I wanted to preserve my old AC with the LCD relay board intact for resale, so I purchased a replacement board mounted it in a plastic box. I installed it in the area where my tank monitor is with the access through pantry. Where I disconnected the control side of the wiring harness from the AC I then connected wires long enough to be routed back to the new LCD relay board that is mounted next to the pantry. I then connected those wires to the relay board. One other item is the relay board has a freeze sensor that needs to be hook up or you will get a error message. That sensor is mounted in the cooling fins on the AC, so I had a temp sensor left over from a refrigerator repair I did a while back and that worked as a replacement. The Houghton comes with a roof mount frame, this gets a sealant applied to the under side of it and that is set in the opening in the roof, I used Dicor Lap Sealant. The roof has a slight radius built in to it to help shed water so the flat roof mount frame will tend to teeter in the opening. I applied the sealant 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. I made the 120 volt connection to the AC with waterproof connectors and discarded 4" x 2" Handy Box so I would have less obstructions in the air passageways. I also used aluminum foil tape to smooth the transition between the two mount frames. As a sidenote halfway through the install I thought of a different way of doing the wiring for the thermostat. If a person replaced the LCD thermostat with a older manual style you could do away with the LCD relay board. If you look at the first picture that shows a group of wires that are in a black sheath, these are the control side of the wiring for the AC. In that group of wires there are two blue wires one with a white stripe. The one with the white stripe is hot 12 volts DC and the solid blue is the wire that goes to the furnace relay board. So re-allocate the existing thermostat wires by doubling them up ,two of them hooked to the solid blue and the other two hook to the blue with the white stripe. Then at the wall hook the two thermostat wires that are hooked to blue with white stripe to the power in on the new manual thermostat and the other two to the power out. The reason I would double them up is because of they're small gauge. This would do away with having to pull wires and using the LCD relay board. Also save you having to toggle through the unusable modes (heat strip, cool) on the LCD thermostat to get to the furnace mode. I am very pleased with the sound levels of this AC, you can easily have a conversation between two people without any difficulty of hearing each other. Plus it also has heat mode and dry mode. I should have done this write up sooner when it was fresh in my mind. Oh well. Paul PS I also installed the Micro Air EasyStart. I wanted to ensure that my Honda 2200 would be able to start the AC from eco- mode. You can see from the pictures it was very tight space to mount the unit. The captured inrush amps before installation was 67.1 and 48.9 after install.

Yeah, when the tide is way out but incoming it can be surprising how quickly a two foot high flow of water crosses a hundred yards or so toward the land. It's not zero risk on outgoing tide but the risk is for sure lower, especially if you watch several wave sets come through to see what's going on. But yeah sneaker waves are real. We really enjoyed walking both Ruby and Beach 4 during this stay, and of course the beach right at the campground was handy for several nice walks. I think I like Second Beach even a bit more than Ruby but now I'm splitting hairs I suppose, and I can't take my dog there. There are some beaches between Bandon and the CA border that I am fully smitten with but it's a MUCH longer drive from home. Will be heading down there (with reservations at Cape Blanco and a few other spots in-between here and there for before and after) in late October when the weather is often surprisingly awesome on the coast. The beaches down along the Samuel Boardman corridor are pretty wild and of course the beach at Bandon is super photogenic. Here's a pic from Second Beach (currently closed due to being on tribal land, due to COVID concerns btw!) four or five winters ago, when I was staying at nearby Mora campground, which used to be FFS all year but now is on the reservations season along with Kalaloch Beach CG during high season 😞. Mora is also "boondocking" per the definition being used here.

Jim, I love that Kalaloch area when it isn’t raining or too crazy busy in the high season, it looks as if you went a few miles north to Ruby Beach. That is simply glorious. It is one of two places in the USA that I want my ashes scattered, the other is White Crack CG in Canyonlands NP, my heirs can take their pick… Scary though during a big negative tide, my wife and son went waaaaay the heck out onto the sand, I stayed back, I have this innate fear of huge sleeper or tsunami waves…. you can just see them in the very center of the pic. It would be a very long way to run. BTW it is pronounced “Clay-Lock”. Two equal syllables…. visitors should be aware that gas stations are scarce, and the ones inside Olympic NP are insanely expensive. Just outside the Park boundaries they are just a little expensive, use Gas Buddy, don’t pay an extra 40%… John Davies Spokane WA

Looks like a beautiful area! Great photos and thank you for posting up!

Beautiful captured shots of the area!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope to meet you in person whenever you are around the region.

That looks like a great sot that we'll need to check out! Thanks

Beautiful photos. We love your area. Hope to return, maybe next year. Thanks for sharing!

Jim - I, for one, certainly do not mind those photos - very nicely done! Bill

Soooooo, last night of the first part of the trip. Gonna stay the night in an old junk yard. Route 66 Junkyard Brewery Grants NM. It is a harvest host stop. Have some brews and stay in the lot that was the junk yard. It is a different kind of place🙃

Bill, Looks like a nice place to camp. We are so glad y’all had a great trip and thanks for sharing fun photos and info! David & Kathy

I know the feeling - sort of.... On interstate 70 just west of Warrenton, MO (St. Louis area), there is a Pilot gas station. It simply doesn't matter if I need gas or not, I just got to stop - they have fresh Kettle Corn! After all, ya can't eat a pocket knife. 🤩

Sadly, we're wrapping up our travels, for now. Time to start planning our fall adventure to to add West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois to travel map. Any "must see" suggestions appreciated!

You need to remove the roof shroud and look for the model and serial number information, it should look something like this one (this not an Oliver AC picture): It is too bad they didn't write it down, you should have a page with all the appliance models and serial numbers. I don't have a clue about the fan noise, you can run it while the large cover is off, don't get hurt, watch to see what is happening. With power turned OFF you may be able turn the rear fan by hand to feel for binding. It may have a screen over it. The front (compressor) fan is going to be hidden by a cover. John Davies Spokane WA

Brian, I am glad you got it figured out. During normal usage there will always be some appliance operating to bleed off pressure so that the flag will switch to red. Your situation was not really how it was designed to operate. Some of us only open one bottle at a time, so that when the gas runs out it is very obvious, because all the appliances quit working, but that is risky for your fridge contents and you might have to run out at 2:00 am in your jammies to switch on the other bottle. OTH running out completely might be far worse if it is below freezing outside… John Davies Spokane WA

I will add- until last month I didn't have any vehicle charge going through to the Oliver. The fuse was bad and I didn't know until I installed a DC plug in the bed area for my ARB. So I ran around on just solar charges all last summer- if not for ever. Never had an issue. yes it charged when on shore power. So I reckon it ain't all that bad if disconnected

This is a wonderful opportunity for both those attending and anyone interested in Olivers to share information, share mods, share a common interest and simply camp with other like-minded individuals (at least regarding Olivers). Hopefully the weather will shine on you and all will be safe in coming and going - ENJOY! Bill

Might want to check to see if there is some debris in the channel at the top of the frame where the fabric meets it. There is a little trough there. Maybe somethings is wedged in there.

Hi Brian, I don't understand what you are asking. So my apologies if you already understand what I am telling you. Once the primary cylinder that is selected by the propane change over lever runs out the regulator shows red. You can have both tanks open and when the regulator shows red it will switch to the other tank. You will know the original tank is empty because it is red. See about 1:30 in the propane tank video here: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/travel-trailers/videos/

In my humble opinion, Jim, Mike and Carol have spoken the truth relative to this new generation of campers and their longevity in that activity. I literally watched that transition take place on a daily basis during the 2020 (Pandemic) Season. Like the rest of you, I watched the reality of the situation became more clear each day, then the phone started ringing off the hook with cancellations from "Our" Generation, this continued for two months 7 days a week. Then the phone just stopped ringing at all and my parks summer season map was near vacant. I had never seen this before as its typically sold out early. On June 6th of 2020 the 14 day quarantine for out of state travelers was lifted here in Montana and the Hot Springs next door was allowed half capacity as well. The phones began to ring and this increased each day with fervor, however, the people on the other end of the line were not 50-80 years old.... they were 20-50 years old and most in the lower half of those ages. As this second wave of campers began to arrive I was amazed to see that 25% of them were brand spanking new trucks towing brand new R-Pod style and size RV's (and I mean paper license plates on both rigs), 50% were brand new tow behind, 5th wheel's or motorhomes and 25% were my typical return clients that we see every season. My point being all of those new rigs were young couples that, without intending to, discovered a completely new and exciting way to spend time with their young families and do so in an environment (their RV) that they have total control over. Given the hundreds of conversations I had with this new group of campers I can tell you without any shadow of a doubt that at least 60% of them are here to stay. They invested heavily into the RV industry to escape whatever it was they were escaping (more then a handful actually sold their home with no plan yet to purchase another). Most of them ended up enjoying it, then posted their exploits and adventures on their Blogs, Twitter and Facebook accounts and as you all are aware, Every one that missed that train last year? is desperately trying to purchase an RV right this moment so they can go out and give it a go this season. The RV industry will see a lull in sales once this bubble bursts that is a fact, there will also be some deals to be had on used RV's being sold by those who simply do not fit the RV life well enough to enjoy vacationing in one. But finding an RV Space will be an issue for the next decade if only half of those folks were telling me the truth last season. It was and is awesome to see the new young faces come piling out of their new RV's, there are some trials and tribulations with so many newbies pulling in but we were all there once and they learn quick (most of them) and it is wonderfully exciting to see my older, wiser and most importantly still healthy campers returning this season. At the end of the day, while there are growing pains associated with this influx of new campers, this growth in RVing is good for all of us, My park is full and your Olivers are worth more than you paid for them in most cases and will be for some time to come. So I say embrace it, help them all learn how to back into an RV space without running stuff over, turn on their water heater, find and stop the mysterious water running out of the bottom of their trailer, and enjoy the sound of their young children laughing and scurrying about outside because that is truly one of the few good things that came out of 2020 and for the children's and our sake I for one hope it lasts.

I watch a lot of nerd youtube. Will Prowse is my favorite.

IMHO that is a really lame solution from the factory, it dodges the "charging while towing" issue entirely. Do they even tell the new owners this when they take delivery of their new $80,000 trailer? My guess is, probably not.... especially since they will no longer give you any wiring diagrams, just thirteen BLANK pages! It is also NOT mentioned in the lithium section of the Owners Manual! John Davies Spokane WA

This past weekend: Buck Hall Recreation Area/Francis Marion National Forest just north of Charleston.

I have received a couple of Messages asking about this, so I guess I should post some pics. This is an older ARB Classic 50 quart cooler, I picked it because it is tall and narrow and that makes it accessible from the rear passenger window of a tow vehicle, I remove the left rear seat of my Land Cruiser and anchor it solidly to home made tie down points. It would not be at all good for it to launch forward during a collision. NOTE: You can't effectively anchor this to an installed seat, the soft foam allows too much motion, and the leather or cloth fabric could be damaged. Door OPEN: Door CLOSED, window down: Because the hinge is on the far side, the lid opens easily. Or it can be removed entirely by "popping" the hinge which has tow little spring loaded ball detents (twist the lid to one side): Tied down hard to the center seat attach point: And in front it is strapped to a length of big chain that is bolted to the two front seat mounts, using 3/8" stainless carabiners for the two ratchet straps to pass through. It is ROCK solid and will not shift on bumpy roads: ***** There are air vents at the two back corners (below the hinges) down low, it is imperative that these be kept open, don't allow cargo or a loose jacket to go down there and block them, or the unit can't cool.***** Note, on a Land Cruiser 200 the AIRBAG warning light will illuminate if you take out a rear seat, so the fix is to install a small resistor in the warning harness connector, the white one at the bottom of the above picture, to fool the computer into thinking that there is a seat installed there. There are instructions at a number of different LC forums, this is very common. Power comes from the center console round 12 volt socket when towing, and from the trailer when parked: ... https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3247-how-to-external-solar-dc-power-cable-using-factory-furrion-port/ The compressor uses about 1 amp and cycles on and off, depending on the heat load, if you reduce that "delta T", the temperature difference between the cabin and the fridge, it will use less power. Add sunshields to south facing glass, park in shade, pop open the sunroof, etc. I normally use it as a freezer and keep stuff really cold, so it can be turned off for a few hours in the daytime or overnight and the contents will not thaw. Highly recommended for long trips, especially to places where food costs are high, or grocery stores are infrequent, like Alaska! https://www.arkportablepower.com/blogs/news/17808136-the-arb-fridge-freezer-and-battery-life-what-you-need-to-know John Davies Spokane WA

Just picked up my trailer yesterday, wednesday. The manuals are copied and bound together in thick booka, one for standard equipment, one for options and an owner manual. My binding has failed and pages are falling out - just an aside. You get all manuals, even if you don't have that appliance/equipment. There are no wiring diagrams or information provided. I asked about wiring, and the delivery person could sort of explain where each wire was. He knew more about some than others. I was pleased to find access ports to all connections. The wiring is not "clean", but it is functional. I was told that they had no diagrams to provide, and have asked for a diagram, just like in a vehicle. There is nothing proprietary about the wiring that needs to be protected. I just don't think that they use a diagram. There are diagrams showing component placement, but does not show the wiring between the components. I would like to see the size of wiring used, where it is run and how.

We've been using Shoe Goo since the early 80's. Back then the main purpose was to apply the stuff to the heels of running shoes so that the shoes would last for a number of additional running miles (today's running shoes have soles that are much more durable than they were back in the day). The next "found" use for this stuff was to make both the heels and the toes of fly fishing wading boots last longer and I still use it for that purpose today. Certainly Shoe Goo will "fix" soles that are detaching but it tends to be slightly less pliable than E6000. Both of these products can be used for temporary small leak repairs or awning patching or fishing wader patching or .... Bill