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Your intended travel style is really important for TV consideration IMHO. I really thought about 3/4 Tom diesel but I just didn’t want that for my daily driver yet. Until I retire I plan to take shorter trips and after almost 2,000 miles on shakedown trip I am very pleased with my TV. In another 5 years when longer trips and hopefully an extended Alaska trip are on horizon that 3/4 will probably be on my radar. I also travel light. I don’t carry bikes or kayaks and normally it is me and a medium size dog.

After recently upgrading to new 30 gallon LP tanks I decided to add a thin piece of rubber door mat to the shelf that the bottom tank rings sit on. I simply patterned it and cut it to fit the shelf. $4 for the mat at Wally World and 15-20 minutes to install. This should help prevent metal on metal corrosion from forming between the bottom of the LP tank ring and the metal shelf. I lightly sanded and cleaned the shelf, taped it off, and shot it with a rattle can coat of flat black rust preventive paint. Happy Camping!

We like Moosehead Lake as a great place. It is away from the tourist areas. Though the pink granite of Acadia, the pounding surf, and fresh lobster are hard to beat. Lily Bay SP is great, but probably all ready booked. We go to Seboomaook Wilderness Campground. 24 miles to the stop sign, turn right at the stop sign and it is only another 12 miles, all on well maintained dirt roads. It is the site of a POW camp for German Africa Corp,during WWII. "Who knew the Army ran on paper and needed pulp?" It is the largest mountain lake in the eastern United States, large Brook and Lake Trout. It is recommended that you stop for the Moose, and wait for them to get off the road. They tend to be quite large. The area doesn't have a large population, and it is a little travel to Greenville, but the have some nice restaurants and ice cream stands. PEI is a nice once in a life time run, and Nova Scotia has some truly quaint spots. Rumor is the border may open to vaccinated folks come July 1rst. We do have a free field with plenty of sun, 20 amp plug and cold well water near Brunswick ( 3 miles from the Interstate) if needed ...

We also use the TV as a daily driver. Right now a 3/4 ton TV is not on the radar for us. Put many thousand miles on a 5.7L Tundra towing Ollie around the lower 48. It will be interesting to see the new generation 2022 Tundra's cargo carrying capacity, but don't know if it will still be a 1/2 ton pickup, will see. We travel light with Ollie & TV. Our LE2 (no factory solar system) weighs in at 4940 pounds ready to camp with slightly less than 500 pounds of tongue weight with empty water tanks except for full 6 gallon water heater as per CAT scales last month. Lower tongue weight helps reduce overall weigh of the TV while connected to Ollie, increasing cargo carrying capacity of the TV helping keep TV under maximum cargo, axles, and GVW weights. Used to leave gear in the TV we only used once every year or two, that gear now stays home unless needed for a specific trip.

I can vouch for this. 6 years ago I was concerned with towing specs and did not consider payload. It’s a truck, right? Throw a bunch of stuff in the back and go. Once you add the tongue weight, people weight, stuff in the cab and stuff in the bed (including caps or covers) it doesn’t matter how much you can tow if you’re at or over your weight limit. My 2500 diesel does tow better than my Tacoma did, but it’s the payload capacity that is the big difference. Mike

Concerning the Andersen hitch (or any add on device) there’s no increase in payload capacity. The sticker is all you’ll ever have no matter what you add to the truck.

That was a great repair you did csevel, very clean!! This whole lense issue seems seems to be a pita to me. They all eventually leak, and the way Oliver cuts them in is just not good practice. Referring to John's pic above, a square corner cut has no place in fiberglass work, especially work that is subject to the stresses that boats and trailers are. Why Oliver does not properly radius their corners really bugs me as I know they must know better. Square corners concentrate stresses to a point greatly increasing the likelihood of fracture. I already have small fractures in the gelcoat radiating out from my rear lense corners. In fact, all the cutouts in my trailer were hacked out with what looks like a sawzall! Some corners are even overcut! It is just poor workmanship plain and simple. It may seem trivial, but when I lift up my seat access panels and see overcut square corners, it just makes me feel bad, as I know Oliver could do so much better. And they should do better if they really want to live up to their claim of building a superior trailer, which I will admit, they almost do. But, they still have lots of room to improve.... Personally, I'd prefer a small light bar up there or nothing at all. Finally, I believe a continuous ribbon of good quality marine butyl tape with a tight, carefully scarfed butt joint will not leak (best done on a cool day). Follow up with a thin bead of 3m 4200 around the exterior perimeter to clean it all up and you should be good to go for a very long time. My 2 cents! Dave

Well that is true Oliver fashion. Thanks for the welcome. September 29 is our pick up date I hope we could possibly see a few Oliver folks at the campgrounds. Maniac thanks for the great idea. I struggled with a name for the forum but that might be cool. Thanks again and I know where to go with any questions. Thanks Tina and Mike

Since I'm dealing with a number of messy issues with my new to me LE2, I wanted to shift my attention and share with y'all a couple recent mods that I'm proud of. Some were the genius of others on this forum that I copied and some are my own.

We were traveling with our Norcold 4.5 refrigerator on Auto. We had the LP off and were running on DC. We check this too by pressing the mode button and the LED illuminates showing DC. When we got to the campground where we don’t have shore power we turned on the LP. I checked the stove at some point and turned on the Truma outside and the at the remote inside. After a few hours I happen to check the VictronConnect Smart Battery Shunt numbers using my iPhone and Bluetooth and discovered extraordinary draw. I immediately checked the refrigerator by pressing the mode button and confirmed it was on DC. Several iterations of this with the Norcold setting of Auto always showed DC when I pressed the mode button. I finally changed to manual LP and the LED F was displayed indicating an LP issue. I couldn’t understand why the stove and Truma would work and the Norcold had a code, but power cycling the refrigerator after relighting the stove for one more check resolved the issue. I suspect the code was suppressed by the Auto setting on the refrigerator. My warning is to not trust the Auto setting without checking the actual operation by pressing mode or setting to the desired setting manually.

Hi everyone! I used part of that famous opening line from a guy who had an Oliver as my Intro title--lol. Wasn't going to used the Stones...I am a female newbie who has been a researcher for decades and remains so in retirement. Been pouring over information from many sources (net sites, u-tube, talking to sales people of all stripes, dialogues on forums, etc. After several months of this, carefully taking notes, using spreadsheets, and compiling files, I wholeheartedly believe the LE is the one for me, for all the reasons cited in so many posts here (and elsewhere). There is a lot of experience and knowledge on this forum I've started to glean. Started diving in yesterday when I joined here and posted a classified asking if anyone had a used LE for sale. As John Davies replied to me, the cost of one is possibly going to be not far from a new one, so there's that. I am currently trying to reach Oliver Sales to discuss availability, price, timing, options, etc. I do not leave near the factory and all of this will take a great deal of planning. In my favor, I am among the most organized people on earth and in no rush, but want to get started. Right now, given the fact that many in our country have been cooped up (including me) for the last 16 months, there is, quite understandably, rampant "cabin fever." People have been snatching up all sorts of RVs of every make, model, price and design to travel around. I know CGs and boondock areas are jammed. My timing here is not the best. Then there's the chip and material shortage affecting nearly everything. Timing rears again. But, she who hesitates is lost---lol. So I join the fray. Thank you for letting me in to this esteemed group!

I just received and installed the tank “halo” rings today (purchased from Amazon). They fit perfectly on the tanks and in the tray. I considered the idea of the rubber mat but I think that will have an issue with moisture/road-spray getting trapped & retained between the mat and the tray. I’ll check these rings & the underside of the tanks occasionally to see if any water gets caught inside the rings. They do have small weep holes molded in, hopefully that avoids moisture buildup. Mopeka 024-5002 LP Check Tank Halo https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HQZRR9F?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I had purchased some contact cleaner and Fluid Film to clean out my 7-pin trailer connector on my truck and also used some Fluid film on my hammer locks to mitigate the inevitable rust that will occur. Then I ran across this video comparing the two products which was interesting. I didn't use the Boeshield T9 due to how much more it costs and based on the above linked video, the sticky residue Fluid Film leaves would not really interfere with the two applications I made. HOWEVER...I have since learned that Fluid Film attracts swarming termites - but given it's stickiness, it also traps them. It is that time of year in southeast TX when we get ants and termites swarming after rains and I just happened to notice this. Purchasing some Boeshield now as I am sure Ford used some wood in my F250 😉

Yes the ac will use the Easy Start any time it powers up regardless of the source of power.

In my research for the someday upgrade to lithium on the boat, (much larger battery bank than our Elite), I ran across this video from Victron. It tests two types of alternators charging lithium, and possible consequences. And, a short explanation of solutions, including addition of a b2b charger, as John did, at the end. Watching that alternator smoke is a very clear visual explanation of why Oliver disconnects that charging circuit.

We also cook/eat just like we do when we are at home. I shop from my fridge/freezer/pantry then buy the things we need before travel. I normally make a menu for each day and make sure I have everything needed for each meal. I try not to take large bottles/bags of things. I'll put smaller amounts in ziplock bags and store flat. We're big on fresh fruits and veggies. Very rarely do we used canned. I usually take a few types of cheese, salami, fruit, nuts, etc for a charcuterie board. I also pre-make brown rice or seasoned rice and store flat in ziplocks for stirfry or as a side. I also freeze leftovers of homemade soup in flat bags and take a couple of those to use. When I cook breakfast the first day I usually cook bacon/sausage for the week just leaving it a little undercooked so that it can be rewarmed on other days to go with pancakes, used to make breakfast burritos, have a BLT sandwich, add to salads, etc. That way the greasy cooking is out of the way. We use a Blackstone Adventure grill which we can cook nearly anything on. Breakfast, grilled sandwiches, toasts, hibachi, grilled meats, add an iron skillet on top for gravy, cherries jubilee, chili cheese dip, etc. Then the only dishes I have to wash are utensils. We used it at home and with our other RV for 2 years before getting the Oliver. Lots of great ideas from others! Love to hear what everyone does that maybe I hadn't thought about before. Cindy

Welcome to the group! We are new Oliver owners as of February. We owned a SOB 42' 5th wheel that we downsized from. The Oliver is so much better constructed. It is small but efficient. There is a place for everything. The forum is a wealth of knowledge with the owners ready to share information and offer help. The owner's section is also full of information with videos and more. Cindy

Shipping of new Broncos to pre-order customers has been delayed by the chip shortages, but Ford is opening its first "offroad school" in Texas, using Ford-owned trucks. What better way to keep waiting customers happy than to let them beat up a new truck they don't own? 😃

This is an accurate statement and one that most people don’t understand. Also, people think that they can load up to the max payload capacity and drive away fat and happy but what they don’t consider is the ride and handling of that vehicle when loaded to the max. This is a post that I made in a thread about tow vehicles: Listen to what these folks are telling you about the 3/4 ton pickups. I started towing our Elite 2 with a 1/2 ton Chevrolet gas burner using the Andersen. It was okay but I was only 20 pounds under my max GVWR and a 400 mile day on the road would wear us out. You can make all the weights work out on paper but you can’t get a feeling for how that loaded vehicle is going to ride or perform under the conditions you will experience on the road. I traded up to a 3/4 ton Chevrolet 2500HD with a Duramax Diesel. No worries about exceeding the GVWR and it it pulls and stops the Elite 2 great. Very comfortable ride. My wife enjoys driving it. No need for the Andersen. Uphill, downhill, dry or wet, hot or cold, accelerating onto the Interstate, rough roads, dips or humps at bridges, strong cross or headwinds in wide open areas, pressure waves created by passing semis, avoiding animals in the road, whatever, much better experience. And after a 400 mile day I don’t feel like crap while I’m setting up for the night. But on second thought, go ahead and start out with a 1/2 ton. That way when you do trade up it will make you appreciate the 3/4 ton that much more.

I love good synthetic butyl. It's my go- to sealant product for ports and windows. It's a wonderful, old school sealant, flexible, self -healing, wide temperature range, etc. But, butyl still requires mechanical fastening with a trim ring or multiple screws. It's not an true adhesive . That's where modern, compatible adhesive/sealants take the place. 3m 4200 is a great adhesive sealant, with many materials. But not for fg to acrylic. Imo. They'll definitely "stick." Great adhesion, and elasticity, but 4200, as a polyurethane, isn't long term compatible with acrylic, according to my research. The older I get, the longer I want my work to last. (The harder it is for us to redo. 😅) The lens is radiused. It will probably do the most movement, as its applied to the outside, within the radiused molded inset. I'm not concerned about the squarish cutouts. Not exactly square peg in a round hole,imo..

Shouldn't ever drip inside. Most likely you've got a leak in the condensate line at one of the multiple tube connections between the evaporator drain pans and white PEX overboard line shown in Dave's photo. With the intake filter on the bottom front of the air distribution box removed, you should be able to see all the potential sources and if there is backup from an obstruction further down. To remove the filter: Open the forward air diverter, Then use a few fingers to reach in and feel for the front edge of the filter frame. Push down hard at the center until the it pops loose.

Seadawg, Yes, the lense is radiused, but more importantly, the cut out in the fiberglass is square cut, this is not good practice. As for the butyl tape, not all are created equal. Best I've found so far after reading many boating forums and personal use is Bed-it tape from Compass Marine. Here is a link talking about the tape and how fiberglass should be properly worked: https://marinehowto.com/bed-it-tape/ It is of course directed towards marine users, but all the fundamentals still apply for our trailers! The 4200 has stuck to my lense so far. I carefully wiped the edge of the lense with MEK on a Q-tip before installing and sealing. But you may be right about there being better sealants for that particular application. I have 3m 4200 around as it works well for everything else on the trailer. Dave

We put the maxxair window vents on ours about ten years ago. So glad we did. And so disappointed that they are no longer available. So nice to be able to leave the window open a bit in the rain.

cseval, I removed that rear egress screen, wrapped it carefully and stored it on my garage shelf. I rarely open that back slider, the two side windows take care of cross ventilation, and I like the view much more with it and those two stupid peeling exit stickers gone. I mounted a new single sticker above the opening, not on the glass. John Davies Spokane WA

If you are planning to mainly camp where there is electricity you don't need any solar or fancy batteries. Just plug up and enjoy the stay. The fridge will be running on AC as will the water heater, air conditioner and microwave. Your batteries will be charging and all your 12 volt accessories will be running off your converter. If you will need heat, bring along a small electric heater. Using this plan, I think you will do nicely without any propane. If you decide to spend a night without an electrical source, you will be fine with just the standard batteries.

That said, other us rv manufacturers build all electric units. Even fgrv Egg camper and Little Snoozy did it. Of course, they both went out of business. (Though Snoozy II is working again, with a new owners.) The biggest problem is the furnace, from my point if view. Carrying diesel, or having to hook up for electric to obtain heat, isn't appealing to most people. Everything else can be solved with enough solar, and enough lithium battery, imo.

I would say, that is the crux of the problem. I think Oliver chose Zamp solar, for example, for several reasons. Wide service network. Usa made. Quality. Ease of use. The choice of the noisy Dometic ac is based on availability, and serviceability, I'd suspect. No matter how great a component is, if there are no parts, no service network, and unreliable imported supply chain, a manufacturer would be taking a big risk. Those of us who mod with imported or rare units take that risk. But it's on us, and not holding up production.

Oliver could leap frog the domestic market with component specs like this, particularly given their low build volume. The downside would be lack of component support, whereas most of the built-for-volume quality of ACs, fridge, and solar have wide service networks. https://kimberleykampers.com.au/luxury-off-road-caravans/kruiser-t-class/#specs A few of these have been imported, mostly when the Australian dollar was weak a few years ago. That said, their is a dealer in Ohio now.