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When considering a tow vehicle the first number most folks look at is towing capacity. While this is important it's not all there is to it. One needs also to look at the vehicle's cargo carry capacity or payload capacity (CCC/PC). This is all the cargo weight that you can safely add in addition to your truck’s empty weight (also known as curb weight) including passengers. There are loads of information on the net explaining this and I won't try to duplicate it here. The easiest way to find what your particular vehicle is capable of carrying is to look inside the driver's side door for a yellow and white "tire" sticker. Look at the line that states "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed..." All the information on your vehicle's sticker will different than that of this example. But the stated CCC/PC is exactly correct for your vehicle as it was delivered from the factory. You have probable added a few items since you acquired your vehicle. Cell phone, charger, sunglasses, GPS, floor mats, hitch and ball mount, you see where this is going. Every ounce and pound comes out of that CCC/PC. Our Silverado 2500HD has a CCC/PC of over 2100 pounds. Prior to leaving for the Rally, I weighed every item going into the truck. I was over the CCC/PC by 200 pounds, not including the sunglasses and the cell phones. I am including here actually weights (to the nearest pound) that I recorded of my camping gear that I know many of you carry. 52...Andersen Hitch (I don't use, weight from the net) 40...Clam 5...Yellow Blocks 19...Zero Gravity Chair (each) 9...Bass Pro Chairs (each) 6...Patio Rug 21...Weber Grill 20...Extendable Ladder (10 foot) 20-40...Ball Mount and Hitch 200-250...Topper ???...Occupants and Pets 600-700...Tongue Weight ???...Tools 40...Extra Propane for grill or fire pit ???...Table ???...everything else you think you can't live without Add these all up and be prepared to be amazed at how much it all weighs. Just your tongue weight and occupants will probably get half of your CCC/PC. And remember, if you're in an accident and some slick lawyer decides you might have been overweight - and you were, don't be surprised if your insurance company tells you that you are on your own. Pray that you haven't hurt or killed anyone.

To be sure, have someone run water over the exterior of the lens while looking in the attic at the LED light housing to see where the water is coming in. I used wood paint stir sticks cut in half to about 4" long each. Ground both ends to a dull edge and started digging the exterior caulking out around the Oliver lens. Once the caulk is dug out, the lens will come out. I did my project outside, so if it rained during caulk removal, used white electrical tape to temporarily reseal the lens in the hull. When the hull and lens areas where sealant goes are clean the lens is ready for installation. Different sealants have been used to seal the lens. Some folks may use 3M sealants, butyl tape, and some may use silicone. I had a tough time removing the original sealant, not sure what sealant it was, but it was tough stuff. Wanted to use something that was flexible and easy to remove next time, if it leaks again. Oliver has used ASI 335 silicone for some applications. Make sure the sealant used is compatible with cleaner to be used. I used Starbrite Marine Silicone Sealant Adhesive for above and below waterline applications. Initially cleaned surfaces to be sealed with alcohol. For me, silicone is difficult to apply making it look good. Found I always wanted to apply too much silicone with too much excess making a real mess if care is not taken. Good to practice installation somewhere else first to find a good application technique, no matter what sealant is used. Made this repair about 4 years ago without any leaks since. This silicone has not yellowed and still looks good. We have traveled in many state in the lower 48 through heavy rain and hot deserts, without leaks.

I had this exact problem. It took me three years, several trips to the factory and constantly blaming the wrong thing to find and finally fix the issue. It wasn't the weep holes. I'd bet a month's salary it's the high tail light leaking and it's unlikely you'll see a hole in the caulking from the outside. In order to find the leak, you'll need to tear out all the insulation that's glued inside the upper rear cabinet. This is no big deal, it's just sprayed with adhesive and pressed into place, it will go back up although you may need to respray it. Then you need to remove the inside cover over the light itself. Wherever the water is entering it is running down the inside of the outer shell and then between the shells until it gets to the top of the window frame. This is below your level of sight from the upper cabinet. From there, it runs around the frame and drips out the bottom corner of the window on the inside and runs down to the top of the belly band. This allows the water to run to either side, depending on which side of the trailer is lowest. If it's still raining and hard enough, the leak will be obvious, if not, you'll need someone outside with a hose. Also, observe the backside of the adjacent marker lights, they can provide an entry point as well. Here is a photo I took nearly seven years ago during my quest to find a solution. Feel free to duplicate if you deem it helpful.

Rainy, overcast day. Solar has still taken the batteries to 12.7V and 3\4 charged. ...

I second this. When we camp we eat like we do at home. Lots of beef, some salmon, brats (and sauerkraut), some chicken for fajitas. A few peppers, broccoli and brussel sprouts. All do well on the grill. Bacon and eggs for breakfast as well as full fat plain Greek yogurt topped with blueberries, cinnamon and sliced almonds. Snacks include humus and snap peas, various cheeses and sliced salami. Some Pinot Noir and/or Sauvignon Blanc (bottle or box) in the fridge and some Cabernet Sauvignon in the pantry. Desert is usually a square of 85% dark chocolate topped with a little peanut butter. Clean, not complicated. We can find what we like almost anywhere. And cashews…. almonds, pecans, Brazil nuts, walnuts! Mike

Whatever kinds of food you like to eat. And cashews. John Davies Spokane WA

Back to Claudia's third tail light lens question. In our 2008, the lens was attached directly to the fiberglass with some type of tough marine adhesive sealant, I'm guessing probably 3m 4200. We were able to remove that with a heat gun on low, from the inside, and a putty knife, working carefully. Unfortunately, a couple spots were held in place with a dab of epoxy, which was much tougher. Yours is likely held in 3m4200, or something like that. I know you've seen my thread on what we did, using butyl and stainless screws, but that's an experiment in progress. If you can get the lens out in one piece, (we couldn't, because of the dabs of epoxy), you'll want to clean it and the surrounding fiberglass thoroughly, and apply and seal with a compatible marine adhesive sealant. If we had gone that route, my choice would have been loctite marine fast cure, or Dow 795 (dowsil), as they're compatible with fiberglass, polycarbonate, and most plastics/acrylics, and easier to deal with and remove later than silicon or polyurethane. I don’t know if the lens is polycarbonate or acrylic, so I'd want a sealant compatible with both.

Wow that does seem like a really long list, and I'm sorry to hear of that many problems. Our 2019 EII has had one issue with the electronic door lock (which was simply shipped as an overnight fix) by the maker of the Lock. We also had an issue with the Dometic Awning which needed a re-adjustment, that was done at a local RV shop under Dometic's warranty. Other than that we've been having a great experience. We recently upgraded our batteries to the Lithionics 315GTX and are on the road for a month so I'll report back after that month long trip. Galway Girl - Hull 505

I think it would be better to switch to diesel fired appliances - a Webasto combination furnace/ on-demand hot water heater and a stovetop, and a DC compressor fridge. These fridges run at about 50% duty cycle typically and use about 3 amps, way way less than the electric heater in a 3-way fridge, which is about 15 amps. The diesel stuff is extremely compact and reliable, you would gain a bunch of storage volume in back where the existing furnace and HWH are now, and you could ditch the propane bottles and the doghouse and mount a neat cargo rack in their place. A 3 gallon plastic diesel tank could be located in a number of places. The cost of a whole bunch of panel$ and a whole bunch of lithium batterie$ would be more than the cost of switching to diesel, and you would not be in big trouble if the sun doesn’t shine or you want to park under a tree. Most locations out West other than commercial RV parks don’t have any kind of hookup….. John Davies Spokane WA

Once caulking is removed, the lens lifts straight up out of the hull's recessed flange for the lens. Did not have to disconnect wiring and the LED light housing is secured to the interior of the hull on Hull #75 2015 LE2. This is the only photo I have of the attic interior with complete LED Oliver sign housing. Normally I make photos of projects, but failed upload photos of this project for some reason. After lens removal, installation, and re-caulking. Rainbow was icing on the cake!

I'm guessing "obnoxious amount of Gorilla tape" is not something that came from the factory, so this must have already been an issue for the previous owner.

I got the aluminum box off of Amazon. About $100. It carries my heavy rubber chocks, wood blocks, 20 legos, gloves, flashlight and a couple of other items. I never lock it. It’s held up well the past few years. For what I use it for it’s perfect. Mike

I'm dealing with the exact issue! Waiting on responses

Just so you guys know..I went ahead and peeled the insulation back from the interior rear brake light and ScubaRx is the winner winner chicken dinner. There is definitely moisture back there! I'm not sure exactly how to take it apart but I took the obnoxious amount of Gorilla tape from around it and am studying how it's fixed in there. It looks like it slides out..but I'm not sure. I'm off to buy some Fllexseal tape and figure out how to proceed. If you have any tips ..please keep them coming! Oh, and just so you guys know, I DO have EZ rv rain gutters over every window..might try to add some to above that brake light! Thanks guys/gals! Claudia

Ford's towing guide states that a truck towing a trailer with a weight distribution hitch should be adjusted lower the total rise caused by the loaded trailer to 1/2 of the difference between the unloaded and loaded weight of the truck. I did this with my F150 and the EII and found that loaded/unloaded front wheel well height difference to be 2.5 inches. I tightened my chains until I brought that difference down to a bit under 1 inch and found that the front steering was better and the bounce was much less.

Spending a week or two in Northern AZ - nice temps but dry as heck. Really good to be off the road - seems the "getting there" as easy as it is - is getting harder - or I'm just getting cranky!😖 Every trip we have taken since delivery day 2018 - we have folks who are interested in Ollie. 4 out of 5 stops we gave tours of our twin bed - solar Ollie. It never gets old - the comments on clean design and thoughtful construction. Happy trails all! RB

On the positive side, you are getting a crash course on some parts of your Oliver. Steve suggested some work in the attic, I’ve had that insulation out several times for various projects. Learning where all the possible leak location are, where the weep holes are, etc will come in handy in the future. Every time I have a maintenance issue I look at it as another short course in my Oliver expertise. Plus, all of your Casita experience will be invaluable. Pretty soon you won’t be the question asker here, you’ll be one of the professors. Mike

Both of our 1500 5.7’s towed fine in the mountains. One had a 10,400 lbs capacity and the latest was a Rebel with a 9,000 lbs capacity. You have to get used to some higher RPM’s when going uphill, but we never had any issues staying at speed or any overheating issues. That includes up and down highway 550 (million dollar highway) in Colorado. I knew I was always at or near the limit of my cargo capacity, but the 1500 towed fine, was comfortable and reliable. Mike

Purchased our LE2 Ollie used, it is our dream retirement camper, too. Our Ollie's "Rear Oliver Sign" leaked and the top of the dinette window leaked, too. The dinette window leak was from from the exterior porch light above the window. The light was removed and wire holes in the hull sealed along with top and sides of the old style exterior fixture. Also drilled a drain hole in the bottom of the old style light fixture. No more leaks in that area! 👍 Old style porch light fixture: The following photo shows where rear Oliver LED light sign leak was dripping between hulls. Water traveled between the inner and outer hulls coming out of the bottom left side of the rear window on the curbside mattress. Removed the Oliver lens and cleaned out all of the old sealant. Resealed Oliver lens and no more leaks! 😁 All campers will eventually leak, good thing about the Oliver, when a leak is repaired there is not any wood damage to worry about!

Thank you..I had an older Coleman Polar Cub that was quiet considering the smaller space but this Penguin is ridiculous! I hope I never have to sleep with that thing on! We were just up on the roof as when we bought the trailer, the first thing we had to do was remove a nice sized bird's nest from under the shroud. It's tight and I've added rubber washers to help rattling.

Sorry you're having these issues in a 4 year old trailer. Tey putting a layer of blue shop toweling in the attic. The leak you are describing is almost always a third tail light that has lost some of its seal. The rainwater finds its way down. Barring that, put some clear duct tape around the light. If the leak stops, it's the light lens. If not, try some over the top of the rear window. Work your way down, and around. It's also possible that the bedding or caulking for the rear window has failed, and never been renewed. The weepholes aren't very big, for the size of the window. We installed ez rv gutter years ago, and it really helps to divert water from the window/weepholes.

Just remember, if the guide can't see the mirror, the driver can't see the signals. Then again, most of you probably have newer trucks, with backup camera on the trailer. We don't.

I tend to shop from my home fridge, freezer, and pantry first. I keep and reuse (after running through the dishwasher) small containers for short trips. Right now, my ketchup is in a sri racha container, filled from the big bottle at home. Dollar tree has name brands bottled to their dollar size, so sometimes I buy salad dressing and mayo there, just to save space . They also carry (at least in my area) tetra pack milk quarts, from an Oregon dairy, for the usual dollar. I make some salads (pasta and potato salad, cole slaw) at home, and pack in quart containers. I sometimes bring frozen soup or chili, as it's quick and easy in crummy weather. I make up hamburger patties, seasoned, vac pac, and freeze flat. Marinate and/or season chops, Alaskan salmon, haddock, and steaks. Freeze flat on a cookie sheet. Everything is grill or campfire ready. If you start with frozen, vac packed, they're good for a week near or in the freezer. Hardboil and chill a half dozen eggs for snacks or breakfast. I bring enough ground coffee for the trip. We've yet to buy a manual coffee grinder, so I usually just bring ground Gevalia. I also carry two or three "emergency" meals that often come home with us. Dried soup mix. Fixings for jambalaya, with rice mix and canned chicken, shelf stable sausage. It really depends on what you like to eat, and if you like to cook, and how. We prefer campfire cooking when possible. If we are only camping 5 to 8 days, I can bring everything I need. Even sometimes 2 weeks, in the fridge and cabinet. But, I like to visit the local farmer's market for produce, if we can. Lots of produce is fine outside the fridge... potatoes, onions, squash (wonderful on the fire). Oh, some good hot dogs or brats. We like a couple brands from western New York, and it's hard to find decent hotdog on the road. And, what's a better lunch than campfire hotdogs, or a pie iron pizza?

Moxie, Whoopie Pies, red hot dogs, Marshmallow Fuff, and B+M Baked Beans!

Coffee, beer, wine, nachos, Cheetos, popcorn and donuts. If my wife is coming along then some other stuff. 😇

I retired from the railroad. Debbie and I use railroad train movement (lamp) hand signals, if dark with flashlight, for backing, move forward, and stop. If more than one person tries to give signals or person giving signals is out of sight, the Ollie movement stops. We don't worry about air brake application, hand brake application, and release air brake signals! 😁

Good News. I've got the 2020 GMC Sierra with the "invisible trailer" software. I talked to Mike in service and he said they've had a number of requests for an install of this GMC camera. The camera mounts on the rear tire cover so it's at the same level as the camera in the tailgate, then the cable runs through the hull and plugs into the rear bumper. Mike said they discussed it and now can do that install. My trailer is in production now, and will go straight over to service so they can install the camera. I already bought the camera at a GMC dealer and will FedEx it out to Mike.

Provide assistance if you can.

Looking forward to camping and testing one Lithium battery!

Caulk Fight! 🔥⚔️🔥

There are a bunch of very cool Corps of Engineers CGs in eastern WA, they have been mostly shut down completely or very limited in the number of available sites... The Lake Roosevelt National Recreational Area ones are going to be full reservation, and you be able to reserve the same day you arrive - as long as you have a cell signal! - which is a big change. These are nicely maintained and very cheap with the 1/2 off Geezer Pass, I just stayed at Kettle Falls CG four nights (pre-season) and it cost a total of $28. A whole lot of them used to be first come first served, which can be a huge problem in summer, because they are quite remote and it was risky in terms of finding a spot other than during mid-week. A 100% reservation policy means you can check availability at Recreation.gov and nail down a spot before you hit the road. https://www.nps.gov/laro/learn/news/update-on-camping-access.htm https://www.lrf.org/recreation/lake-guide I haven’t heard about Bureau of Reclamation or other Federal agencies, but I went by one BOR location near Othello several weeks ago and there was a landscaping crew hard at work cleaning up debris and cutting the grass, so I am very hopeful that they will reopen too.. All these are maintained with toilets and maybe showers, and dump stations, but no hookups. HIGHLY recommended, they are my favorites in Washington. The ones with boat launches are busiest. The ones without, and those in the upper reaches near Canada, are normally lightly used, especially when the lake level is low and the shores turn into sand banks. Kettle River COE (not yet open for camping) last week: View from across the river showing the typical Spring low water level, it should be near full pool height by July: Here is Kettle Falls CG: . These CGs are typically sparsely treed and cleared of undergrowth (unlike Wet Side campgrounds (Puget Sound) which tend to be lush, dark and buggy) and they can have decent solar exposure for at least a few hours, if you pick a spot carefully with a south or west exposure. Google Earth is your friend! A portable panel is helpful, and a generator. It can be very hot in the summer. John Davies Spokane Wa

This is true, around the world. And, it's really sad. I've found, and cleaned up crap, in free or cheap campsites in Australia, USA, Canada, Iceland, etc . You'd think people would appreciate and respect what they are given, but, noooo. The lower the fee, or free, the more work I usually expect to do on arrival.

EDIT, I was able to reserve my prime spot at a former FCFS campground today at Recreation.gov for three nights in early July. Even with a significant rate increase it was just $34.50 total (with the geezer pass) plus NO Online Reservation Fee, State Sales Tax, Discovery Pass (visitor pass) requirement or Just Because We Can Fee,. So the system is now up and running properly. Cool. John Davies Spokane WA

So 5 days in and my solar setup isn’t working. The system isn’t turning on and using solar panels to charge up batteries. I have been working with Oliver service and checked connections on zamp controller the battery cutoff switch for solar and ensured battery cut off is on. Nothing is working to get led power or charging indicators to work. It is also pulling in no amps per readout. Looks like I will be headed to a service center. I can’t express how disappointed that is with 70k camper that is 5 days old. I don’t think they fully tested the system. Any other ideas? I have also noticed that apparently a child installed graphics as with time I have noticed lots of bubbles. Also no one has even called to see how things are going and my salesman never bothered to stop by on pickup day to sAy thank you. Overall a bit disappointed with Oliver customer service experience.