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The link below just might be for the louvers that CSEVEL mentioned in another post. Bill https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f56/window-louver-vents-93317.html

As of a few minutes ago, we now have 5,000 members! Thanks to all of you who join and participate. Especially those of you who are so helpful in answering questions from new members. We appreciate all of you.

One of my hoses split unexpectedly near the sewer outlet when dumping, fortunately it was just grey water, I would not have enjoyed that if there were black solids spilling out into the rear bumper cavity and onto the ground! I bought a spare set of two hoses at Walmart and tossed the bad section. I decided to carry the second one always as a spare. Ten feet will compress to less than two! I wrapped around it in a circular manner, added two full lengthwise wraps to make sure it couldn't pop open, followed by more circular wraps. The wrap is common mover's wrap, it is super expensive at Staples or even Walmart, but this is a great source for less than $6. It is an on-the-shelf item in every store. I use this for all kinds of temporary securing in my garage and while camping. My trailer was delivered with Camco hoses, yours may vary but they should stow the same. John Davies Spokane WA

After 43 years building and maintaining a cruising sailboat, I have found Oliver ownership a bargain! There are much more effective ways to squander your childrens inheritance than owning an Oliver 🙂

Sure. Underneath near the wheel well there was about a 3 inch tear/crack in the fiberglass. Also, where the awning bracket attached to the shell there were hairline cracks in the gel coat. Oliver paid for the repairs because it was still under warranty.

This ac is only recently available in the US, other than the wildly expensive (same) unit from advanced rv. It has been off and on backorder since intro. I waited several weeks for mine. I could do that. A manufacturer can't. I'm grateful that we're finally seeing new, quieter, more efficient units in the USA, instead of just eu and Australia. I suspect, when supply chain issues become resolved, this type of unit could become a consideration.

Mine broke as well after about 5 years of use. I detailed the issue with pictures HERE. I was able to order the part and do the replacement. You don’t have to remove the entire fan to do it, just the cover and the arm. I removed the whole thing and did a thorough cleaning too. Do a search on Maxxfan and you’ll find other threads. Mike

I run my AC off an older Honda 2000i with no problem. We have a 2021 Oliver Elite 2 with Dometic 11k BTU, installed the EZ Start myself. The EZ Start manual advises your generator is more than adequate, but don’t run it in Eco mode. It takes a few minutes after the fan starts for the compressor to kick in, so be patient. The manual also has a good troubleshooting section.

Here is a RAD video on the Mini,

If anyone is looking for vents.. There's a guy on the Fiberglassrv forum who has 3d printed a vent in his own design. If you private message me, I can dig that email/ info up and share. They work slightly different as they slide into the track and are not permanently affixed like the Maxxair but they come in three colors.. black, white and smoke. I certainly knew the vents were the first thing I was removing before I sold my Casita! But ~ I will say that eventually mine will need replaced with this alternative, as the Maxx do get brittle. I have a couple hairline cracks already!

We have the Rad Mini's Step Thru's, great e-bikes and very please with RAD and from there service per the internet, great customer satisfaction. We have had them for two years and no problems to date. We carry them in the back of the RAM with no problem, these are the folding models, but we find it easier not to fold them for loading and unloading is easier for us. Watch videos on YouTube there are plenty on this 20" model to see and checkout, the 20" model is also good for off road riding on dirt trails, don't let the size fool you, they are easy to ride. We are in our 70's and the e-bikes work well for us. RAD is the largest seller on online e-bikes, I personally went to a bike shop and rode one of there bikes, the price was way too high and the bike we rode was no way close to what we got with the RAD. We will be taking them camping next and I will take some photos of then in the RAM to see how we carry them. Here are a few pics of our RAD'S. trainman

Thanks a lot for all your replies! That helps a lot. I actually towed a travel trailers 4 times so far: one time with Ford 250 + some 23 ft RV of 3000lb dry weight, and 3 times with a Cadillac Escalade + 22 ft Airstream (dry weight 3900lb and GVWR 5000lb). Comparing all these trips, of course the Ford 250 + 3000lb trailer was the easiest drive simply because it was such a powerful TV dealing with a relatively small trailer. The Cadillac Escalade + Airstream was not as a good driving experience, but Airstream itself is really a good camper, and I enjoyed the camping part so much and those trips convinced me about owning an RV. However, even with Airstream, I observed the owner dealing with all kinds of small to medium issues (loose screws, faulty furnace etc) all the time, and the Airstream dealer was not helping much in those cases (The Airstream trailer belongs to one of my closest friends, so I know lots of those live examples). I expect that for all travel trailers, owner needs to fix some issues, but with better quality and customer service, the burden is much less. That's why I ended up order Oliver instead of the Airstream I loved, for its simplicity, quality and good customer service. Still kinda of nervous on if I can handle the fixes and other things later, but I guess I have to learn and adapt as probably Oliver is the one with least concerns. As of towing a trailer, I have to admit I still need lots of practices 🙂 Thanks a lot for all your support! Looking forward to my journey together with all of you!

Besides the huge improvement in the sound level there is also another area where it surpasses the Dometic AC that I had replaced. The Houghton with the compressor running draws 10 amps while the Dometic was pulling 16 amps. So I decided to install a second transfer switch for the air conditioner to test it running off the batteries. It was 11 o'clock in the morning on a cloudless sunny day the temperature was 88 degrees. I had my batteries 400 Ah fully charged with 340 watts on the roof and 230 watts remote ready to feed it. I set the thermostat at 70 degrees and turned on the AC. Once it brought the temperature down to 70 I noticed it was cycling four minutes on with the compressor and four minutes off. I left it running until about 5 o'clock and was surprised to see that the batteries were at 97 percent. So I was happy with those results but time will tell if that is the norm. I put the picture in to also show it's nice low profile. Paul

Finally, we pulled the trigger and placed an order for the fabulous Oliver Legacy Elite II, expected delivery in April 2022. I imagine that we're like of a lot of the Oliver owners; aging baby-boomers looking to see this great country in style. We've never owned an RV. We rented a Class-A motor home about two months ago. We quickly figured out that driving an eleven ton particle-board-and-stapled rig down I-75 just isn't for us. We started researching travel trailers. My bride had her heart set on an Airstream so we went to the local dealer for a tour. Frankly, I was underwhelmed; the build quality was far below my expectations. There were several parked on the lot for repairs—mostly expensive panel replacements from minor dings. The next day we saw an Oliver. The Oliver isn’t built like a trailer. It’s built like a blue water cruising yacht. The solid construction, fit, finish and smart design put this travel trailer in a completely different class from the rest of the industry. The Oliver is robust; everything else is flimsy in comparison. We were sold the minute we walked inside. Anyway, we have much to learn. I’ve owned boats in the past (not the one below) but this will be our first travel trailer. I’ve been lurking around the forum for a few days, gaining some wisdom from you all. My wife and I will be at the mini-rally in Jacksonville in October. We hope to meet some of you next month. I posted these pics for comparison. The interior of the LE II has the look and feel of a cruising sailboat--not a travel trailer.

I am not referring to member Overland, though I bet he has spent even more than I have on his Ollie and Raptor, but to the huge financial hole you dig for yourself when you transform an off-the-shelf truck into a capable overlanding/ adventure vehicle. It is way more costly than doing the same for a motorcycle, that term is "fully farkled" F.A.R.K.L.E. -- Fancy Accessory Really Kool Likely Expensive I keep track of everything I do to "Mouse" in a road travel log/ service spreadsheet ... https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2774-how-to-davies-rv-travel-log-service-inventory-spreadsheet-excel-numbers/ .... mostly for when the time arrives to sell him; for that I created a simple "For Sale" doc that lists everything, as it might appear in a classifieds ad. I have resisted until today in adding everything up. I knew it would be pretty high. An RV is not as bad as a boat AKA "Hole In The Water That you Throw Money Into", but still.... this excludes any labor time, it is parts only.... nor does it include any special tools or materials that were needed. If you would like to see the entire doc, for entertainment purposes, or if you would like to use it as a template to make your own sales ad, feel free: **2017 Oliver Legacy Elite II “Mouse” Hull 218 FOR SALE Info Rev 08:06:21.pages.zip FYI, I do not have any plans to sell "Mouse" any time soon, and please do not tell my wife about this thread. John Davies Spokane WA

My old AC was 13.5 Dometic the new is Houghton 13.5 I had the fan on auto and the compressor was running and it was show 10 amp draw.

Yes, here's the original thread discussing the idea, which shows a handful of possible arrangements.

Any good quality telescoping or folding ladder will work, I really like the Werner articulated ones. If you swing the solar panel up and out of the way using extension arms, there is plenty of room to get around. I use a blue corrugated foam Coleman camping pad, cut in half lengthwise, as a kneeling pad, in the hollow between the awning and the upper roof surface... It prevents slips too. Pad the ladder top with foam or a towel, bungee it to the awning and it won’t slip off and leave you alone up top without your cell phone. 😳 https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2791-how-to-solar-panel-extension-arms/ John Davies Spokane WA

Yeah, I finally got on the roof to see what was what. I'll order the new part today. For now, a temporary prop will do. I'm full-timing for now, so I need the fan going. Thank you everyone for the details.

Looking at this from a different direction…a new Oliver order. The question is decking it out with all the options or buying a base model, ripping out what’s remaining, and build it from the ground up. No reason to spend money on a tv antenna when I really want the TV removed from the unit… The 15k saved during the ordering process can go a long way on FARKLE’s. The one big sunk cost is the time it takes to do it right. But in the end I’ve found the items I’ve customized the most are the ones you’ll need to pry out of my cold dead hands.

If you ever needed parts that is... Our 2005-ish Fantastic fan in our Ford E250 is still going strong. Manual open/close, three speeds, bi-directional, and super simple. No remote, no temperature or rain sensor - seemingly much harder to fry with condensation than these fancier fans and the raise/lower mechanism seems pretty darn solid. The lid has gotten a bit stuck closed at times an we've opened it with a little extra torque on the crank and so far haven't trashed it. Imagine that - a component designed and built to last LONG after the warranty expires, like our trailer frames and shells...

The outside height dimension of the AC3400 shipping carton is only 10".

I have had the 5th wheel, the conversion van, a Scamp, a van hauling a Scamp and a Class A. The Oliver, for us, is the best of all worlds. Plenty of room, you don't have to pack everything up to go get a loaf of bread or an ice cream, and it fits through some covered bridges. Two things to remember: when backing up, put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel. The way you turn the wheel is the direction the trailer is going to go. The other is a slow and small turn of the wheel s a big move way at the back of the trailer. (The camera helps).

Another milestone, though I missed the click. We are now over 6000 members and 60,000 posts. Thank you, everyone, for making our forum a fun, interesting, and congenial community.

I have no direct knowledge, but I think if I were in the market right now, I'd give a close look to Cannondale's new Neo Topstone e-bikes, which seem to be getting good reviews. I only say that because I'm lusting a bit for the regular Topstone right now. The new 'gravel bike' category really hits the sweet spot for where I ride, and would probably fit well for travel, especially in e-bike form. They're made for the combo pavement and not too technical trails - mild rear suspension and an optional front suspension fork. They're essentially 90's style mountain bikes with drop handlebars. Pricey of course, since it's Cannondale, especially for the front suspension models. But they look sweet, don't they?

Congrats! We too are in queue and have passed the ENDLESS days going through all the Oliver University info along with lots of YouTube time. While arm-chair RVing is better than nothing, gaining some actual trailering experience as stated above is a great thing. You also have a great group of owners who are so willing to help - both here on the forum and on Facebook. We are excited for you!

You don't need to have above average mechanical skills to do this. What you do need is patience and willingness to learn. Like any other vehicle, a travel trailer requires care and regular maintenance. Click on the "home" link (at the top of the page) and explore until you find the Oliver University. There you will find manuals, videos and other resources that will help you to learn how to operate and care for your Ollie. The quality of your Oliver will make owning and maintaining a travel trailer less of a burden than other brands. You won't need to worry about cabinets falling off the walls or other maladies common to stick built trailers. Don't let posts on the forum about complicated electrical mods, suspension changes, etc. scare you. Most changes are simply generated by the owners preference, and are not necessary for safe and enjoyable operation. Use the forum as a resource. It is a wealth of knowledge. YOU CAN DO IT 👍

I had serious condensation issues the first winter I had my Ollie because I spend every weekend at a ski resort in very sub freezing temps (as low as -15). BUT, the is my first foray into RV camping, so didn't know diddly about it. NOW, I've got it totally dialed in. No more condensation EVER, regardless of the outside temp, or how much I shower or cook. I believe I've shared all my tips and tricks on my Profile page or some post somewhere (Lessons Learned from a Beginner or something like that)

Hi, June. Welcome to the forum. You have lots of time to learn about the Oliver systems, virtually, through the Oliver University manuals and videos, and I'd encourage you to do so. I'd also encourage you to visit with friends who camp, and/or, rent a camper to learn a bit. Everything is doable, but trying to learn everything, at once, can be daunting. Everyone is a newbie once. Later on, you can help others with your experience, when everything becomes routine.

Hi June, congratulations on your upcoming Oliver. There are a lot of not-handy Oliver owners. You may know that your home-on-wheels bounces around while you travel and issues will come up. The good news is that Oliver service fixes all kinds of problems and folks on this forum will go the extra mile to help out when things don’t work quite the way they should. If you have questions before your delivery in March be sure to ask! Mike

Our son was born in Hawaii back when we lived there in the 80s. Good memories. Mike

We have used our Houghton extensively this summer in the hot NC climate as well as on several camping trips. First, I run our Houghton off of the Lithium batteries (as Minnesota Oli mentioned above) all the time. I also run it off of a small 2400W generator with no issues - and no Soft Start. I have very little experience with the original Demonic AC that came with the Ollie because after trying unsuccessfully to run the AC and sleep (or think or talk for that matter), the Houghton was virtually my first (and in hindsight still the best) upgrade / mod. I talked to Houghton a while back about the cycling and they said it is working as designed (4 minute cycles when close to the set temp). I have the proprietary formula they use and they asked me not to share it publicly, but if anyone wants it PM me and I'll find it. I typically put the AC on 60F and it cools quicker without the cycling. Then when it's close to the temp I want I back it off and let it maintain with the cycles. The dehumidifier works amazingly well too. Actually, both the AC or the dehumidifier set low (like 60F) take out tons of water very quickly. Water does run off of the roof with the Houghton, so I just used some EZ gutters to divert the water to the back - rather than running down the sides and/or and getting into the window tracks, etc. It has a heat pump that I haven't used yet, and I'll likely stick with the gas furnace for heat and only use the Houghton heat as a backup. So far I give the Houghton a 10 out of 10 when compared to the competition.

I should probably clarify that I wouldn’t recommend towing your Ollie at 90 mph. But I did look down once while not paying attention and saw that number - and then slowed down. My experience though is that the trailer tows very well at any legal speed limit.

Neat! do you have a link for the flexible insulation material you used in the outside access doors? You might want to think about sealing off the big screened vent holes in your battery door. Wouldn’t it be NICE if Oliver would build these trailers with molded in place fiberglass air ducts going through all those locations? Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

I’m continually amazed at the knowledge and expertise of members on this forum. It’s nice to know I can come with an issue and get lots of relevant input. I wonder what a rally with 5,000 would look like! Mike

I echo what SeaDawg says and add a thanks to those that help the Moderators by reporting Spam and other issues with our Forum. This really does make our jobs easier. Bill

I've boondocked at the Lower Sunshine Reservoir just outside Meeteetse, WY for a number of years. Given that the camping area consists of basically a sagebrush "meadow" overlooking the reservoir, there is no shade other than what the Ollie provides either early in the morning or later in the day. Virtually every time I've been there I've set up my small (four sided) Clam screen shelter not necessarily to shield me from bugs but more to give me an additional place to relax after a hard day of fishing. When setting up my Clam I virtually always not only stake the four corners down but I also use the three ties that come off the side center hubs and stake them. This is to protect the Clam from any sudden winds that just might come up and it has worked very well withstanding some fair strong winds - until this year. I was in bed at about 11:30pm when the Ollie started rocking. After about 5 minutes of this I got up to look out the rear window to see how the Clam was fairing - not well. So not well that it wasn't even there. Just to make sure or, perhaps, get the Clam before it was swept into the reservoir I jumped into a pair of shorts, donned a head lamp and ventured into that wind. Yep - not there! In fact, no sign that it had ever even been there! Barely being able to stand I turned to get back into the camper and a light colored square object caught my eye about 150 yards away. Could it be? Yes it was. The four sides of the Clam had collapsed but the roof remained fully open. I managed to get over to it, I collapsed the roof, carted it back to the truck and did not inspect to see what was the extent of the damage to it until yesterday. Other than being lucky that the entire thing wasn't lost in the reservoir, I was reasonably certain that the screening or the nylon material or the fiberglass poles or the hubs that hold most of it together would be broken. Perhaps I could salvage something from it for potential repairs to the new Clam that certainly was in my future. Well, all of the screening didn't have a scratch on it and the poles and hubs were fully intact. The roof does have two tears and three abrasions as well as each of the four nylon webbing tabs that are used for staking down the tent had been completely torn from where they were sewed. The abrasions can easily be fixed with dabbing on a little "E6000" and the two tears (one at about 1/4 inch and the other at about 1 1/2 inches) can be repaired with "Gear Aid" repair tape. Of course I also sewed the four tabs back on. I'm not sure if the Clam was purposefully designed so that these tabs would "release" rather than tearing the tent apart, but, it worked that way in this case. Finally, I should note that I found the four tabs the next morning after the wind storm, still staked to the ground as I had originally placed them. And, one of the three ropes used to tie down the sides was broken. I use short bungees that have metal hooks at the ends and place the metal hooks around the ground stakes. All three metal hooks were straightened! I've always liked my Clam but now I'm a true believer. Bill