Leaderboard

Mark and I were thrilled to finally welcome 953 into the family. We spent 2 great days in Hohenwald getting to know Ollie. Super experience at the factory - only very minor issues that were fixed immediately on-site. What a great company!

This is such a silly, simple thing but once I discovered this trick I use it quite often so I thought I would share it. When sitting at the forward dinette by the bathroom, I do not always sit straight ahead facing across the table or straight out facing the door. I'm usually sitting at a 45 degree angle facing into the kitchen. The trick I discovered was to take the backrest dinette cushion and put it diagonally across the seat at a 45 degree angle. When I rest against the back cushion. it wraps around my back and makes a very comfortable backrest. I've attached a picture so you can visualize its position. Have you discovered other simple tricks in your Ollie that make a difference in your comfort?

Last night I tried using the back cushion from the dinette as a back support for sitting upright in bed. Worked brilliantly, and as with most things Ollie related, I saw this trick on the forums!

Ghostrider10-32 I am 6’3 and my bride is 5’11 we momentarily stood in an Elite at the factory sales office and it was a complete no go for us. The Elite was just a little too cozy and lacked the room we knew we were going to need for our comfort level while traveling. You are very wise to view both before deciding. And yes, I agree never buy sight unseen. All the best with your choices!

@Ghostrider10-32, at 5'-10.75" I am comfortable in the Elite1. I can move about the trailer without fear of hitting my head on anything. I just clear the air conditioner. I fit in the bed lying flat on my back with my feet relaxed. However, my head is almost up against the hull and it took me a while to find a pillow that did not take up much room. Big fluffy pillow would not work. Fortunately I found one that works well and I sleep comfortably. I don't really need to duck down in the bathroom but I do need to cock my head a bit. Can't stand tall in there. Does not really bother me. I usually sit on the toilet to shower. At least part of the time anyway. Kind of a combination stand/sit thing. The Elite1 works for me, but at 6'-2" you may find it to be challenging.

I don't have the experience and I don't live up North in a cold climate, but I thought about what I'd do given your circumstances... Without a doubt, I'd take them out and store them in the house / garage with a proper charge and reasonable temps. I think in Maine you might see some nights at or below 0F and I think they are pretty expensive to risk. That's my .02. 🙂

Val and I are excited about our trip to Hoenwald next week to pick up our LE2 on Dec 8th! I’ve appreciated all the advice/information from owners via the forum. I had planned to send our first post with pics of the new Ollie, but I’m not sure whether I’ve set up my account correctly, so thought I’d send this introductory post first. Frank TV-2020 F250 Power Stroke: LE2 #964

We use a foldable shower stool. Toilet does not get wet. I wipe down the shower door before getting out, and then squeegee the shower pan. Works well, at least for us. I think I prefer this approach to having a shower curtain bulked up in storage next to the toilet and towel rack, although I haven't really tried the latter.

Ha ha, who would have guessed that personal hygiene information would come up in a trailer forum. I’m thinking that the outside shower would be a good option - no addition to your grey water. Added benefit when 60+ people start taking showers outside that helps guarantee that no one will be setting up close to you when you’re boondocking!

Good question! Everyday if the weather is warm. Every other day in winter. Maybe that isn’t a lot? Are we getting into TMI territory? There’s been quite a discussion on poop! 😂

I just slip in under the weight limit, if anyone is still looking for a Christmas present for me -

We have no curtain. Water does not leak from the door. Yes, the toilet gets a little wet as does the area around. Squeegee and microfiber works well. We shower a lot. The bath is the cleanest part of the trailer! Mike

Kevin: In addition to input from this forum, I would call the battery manufacture and ask them your questions, as they carry your battery warranty. (Don't put your batteries directly on a concrete floor, use wood in between.)

Being a retired engineer that worked at public wastewater treatment facilities, I would not dump either coconut cor or the peat moss from the Nature's Head Toilet into your home toilet. If you have a compost pile at home, after the Nature's Head compost has had its time to compost, add it to that pile. The pee bottle can be emptied into the home toilet with no problem. I would suggest you go to the Oliver University forum and read the Nature's Head Compost Toilet Manual. Some of the answers to your questions can be found there.

My mom would say "no." I was raised on a farm, with septic, of course. Nothing went into the system but toilet paper, and what had already been through our digestive systems. She was,and still is, very careful about food particles in the kitchen drain, and has never had issues . I don't know a bunch about coir, but I'm guessing it doesn't break down easily. Some rv dumps are vaults, and have to be pumped out. Most are true septic, but even those get pumped out at times. Personally, I wouldn't put anything down the drain that I wouldn't put in my holding tank.

I replaced my faucet a few years ago with a Delta adjustable spray faucet I got on Amazon. Removing the faucet in the trailer is the same as in your house. I did not remove the sink, you just have to reach up behind to find the big nut that holds the faucet in place. I did take out all of the drawers. We were getting some hard water deposits in our lines as well. We now use a softener, it’s a small unit that easily fits in the basement when we travel. It recharges with regular table salt. Mike

Driving through Houston is no fun. We’ve done it many times when our son and family lived there. San Antonio is easier but can be slow at rush hour. As far as Texas State Parks go, most are very good. Between Austin and NOLA we’ve stayed at Village Creek SP, Lake Livingston SP, Caddo Lake SP, and Stephen F Austin SP. We’ve heard that Bastrop SP is nice. Any of the COE parks should also be nice. Mike

We put a matching SS vent on the inside. You see screw heads outside, double nuts inside.

To me, the Lithionics storage requirements are a bit ambiguous, in that the duration of extreme temperatures isn't addressed. For example, the batteries have a 130°F maximum operating range; does this mean that temperatures during storage cannot exceed ~95°F at all, or for most of the time, or? Similarly, short-term low temperature limit is -4°F, but longer term short-term limit is 14°F. So for how long can short-term storage can batteries be less than, say, 14°F -- a month, or? Here in southern Idaho temperatures can be lower than 0°F for a few days (or nights), but not generally very long. But nighttime temperatures can be less than 14°F for several weeks at a time, with daytime temps above 14°F. To be safe, I'll be removing the batteries for the winter, storing them at about 50% SOC. I haven't done so yet, because daytime temperatures here are still in the mid 50s -- and it's December! There are also relative humidity (RH) criteria for storage. I have no idea how to address these here in a relatively dry climate, especially indoors in the winter (the batteries will be stored in a heated shop/garage). Recognize that the SOC values under load (or while charging) can be substantially different than those when the batteries are at rest, at least in my experience. So, I plan on discharging for a while, stop the load, look at the resting SOC, repeat as necessary. Next, for those that haven't seen earlier Lithionics-related posts, the SOC is unreliable if the battery firmware has not been upgraded to the current version. See: Finally, note that the manual suggests that you record SOCs and voltages when storing the batteries for warranty purposes. See https://lithionicsbattery.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/12V130-G31LRBM8-Battery-User-Guide-R1.pdf.

My husband is not quite 6', I'm much shorter at a bit over 5'4". The Elite has been fine for us for 14 seasons. Most of our indoor time is spent seated or sleeping,, anyway. Published height (interior) is 6'1", I believe, which is the same interior height as a 17' Casita, so @topgun2 offered good advice. The Casita does, however feel much more "cramped" to me, and all the cupboards are smaller. I think it's the carpet everywhere, and the casitawood doors that make the Casita feel smaller. (One of my best friends owns a Casita, and we've camped together many times, so I'mpretty familiar with the interior of her Casita.) The Elite bed is much smaller than the Elite II. The east/west bed is a full size (some people call it a double), not a queen, and the curve of the hull at the rear robs a few more inches for a bit, so it's best if the shorter person (me) takes the spot next to the hull. If you're a back sleeper, you may not find the shorter bed to be as comfortable, at probably 6'1" barefoot. @VBistro's idea of deleting the ac has merit, for either unit fitting your garage. We have a recpro houghton, replacing a 2008 Dometic that was much, much taller, but sometimes I think we should have just installed a vent instead, as we rarely use the ac. The rough opening for ac units and standard vents are the same.

Looks great, and glad you are pleased. I see you also got some of Foy's handcrafted wood creations. Congratulations, and happy travels!

Looks good… home away from home!!

Thanks, Mike, for the suggestions! I’ll check them out. Meanwhile, we’ve had a perfectly lovely stay at Bayou Segnette State Park conveniently located 20 minutes from New Orleans. Since it’s a state park, you’re supposed to call before 48 hours of your arrival through the park booking system to get a reservation. We had no problem getting a spot this time of year just driving in.

You have to be a little careful with a towel on the bar but for the most part, yes. The toilet won’t get wet directly, but enough steam will condense on it to make it wet unless you open the window and run the fan while you shower.

I ordered the XL which is rated to 10,000 lbs. The powered units (some mentioned above) sure look sweet but are in thew range of $3,500 - $6000 where I spent $600 for the Trailer Valet XL. My needs are super simple with a level driveway and limited space to have to move. Will report back but am hoping that this less expensive option works out. I had considered a front mounted hitch on my truck but there is not the room in my driveway to be able to pull it off.

That's great! Congratulations.

FWIW, we plan to order the shower curtain and track on our Elite II scheduled for delivery next summer. My wife would prefer a true dry bath, but that it not an option with Oliver. So, the $250 is worth it to us because we hope it will simulate a dry bath, enabling us to keep the toilet area, and towel(s) hanging on the towel bar, dry when showering. Do those of you who have the shower curtain with track find that you can realistically keep the toilet area, including the towel bar, dry, so you don't have to leave the towel(s) outside the bath when showering?

I have a Elite II on order. I asked Oliver if they would install a different AC unit if I bought it and had it delivered to them. Answer: No. Some folks who post on this forum have replaced their noisy Dometic Penguin II units with Houghton/RecPro units themselves. But, a quick internet check revealed that the RecPro unit would only save you about 5/8" in height, not the 3" you need. So, I cannot offer a solution to your quandry, but can help you rule out AC replacement. FWIW, I am 6'0". When I stood in the bath of an Elite II we were allowed to tour, my head almost hit the bath fan handle that hangs down below the plane of the fiberglass ceiling. That is acceptable to me, but I decided then that an Elite I would not work for me (and the bed in an Elite I is too small to suit my wife and me, as well).

Don’t like the look of the curtain, We also just use a microfiber towel. The outside shower is easy to clean up. Just have to keep it going. How much is showering a lot? 😜

That's interesting you mention that because it had crossed my mind (trying to get one without the AC) but its not uncommon in March for Wisconsin to get a warm spell where I'd want to run AC and I wouldn't want a trailer that we'd find unusable in the event we had to skip boating for one weekend in the summer (bad weather? traveling to a wedding?). Add to all that I don't think anyone would want to buy a trailer without AC and I wouldn't want to kill resale value when I want to upgrade. I did wonder if the AC unit on the LEII is the most low-profile type you could get. A quick internet search did show they make low profile AC units (this one is 3 inches shorter at 9.5 inches compared to some other dometic units that are 12.7 inches) https://www.amazon.com/Dometic-640315C-Penguin-Profile-Conditioner/dp/B00NRDHTVA

Looks great! Have fun and safe travels.

Sure does look nice - inside and out. Now you know why it is so hard to explain to anyone who has not had the chance to work with the Oliver Company what it's like. Glad that you had a great time and I look forward to hearing even more about your Ollie as the years go by. Bill

Thanks Mike! I'm heading out to the driveway to start removing the faucet. Once I get it out I'll get a name brand replacement like you did.

Ghost - Hopefully one or more of the LE owners will chime in here shortly. I'm not exactly sure how tall SeaDawg's husband is but even though I don't think he is much over 6' I'm sure that they could give you some good advice. When I was first looking at molded fiberglass campers I looked at a Casita and while they are certainly much different than an Oliver I think that you might be able to get a hint of an answer by taking a look at one of them. Obviously this is not the same as looking at an Elite I but ..... Bill

For the most part - what gets wet depends a bit on how you tend to shower. If you sit on the toilet while taking a shower then most of that area will get wet. If you stand the whole time and are reasonably tall (5'9" to 6'1") then very little of the toilet will get wet. The later is my case and it takes me less than two minutes to squeegee and wipe down the shower when I'm done. No water gets past the door - assuming that I've got it closed 😃. If you do not plan to use the shower very often then I would suggest not getting the curtain. Obviously, if you change your mind in the future, this is a fairly simple item to have installed after the fact. Bill

I just watch a YouTube where this toilet was installed in a black series Hq 19 then looked up the price very expensive. The Lavco sounds interesting wraps and seals in a bag 15 times then throw the main bag away. Battery or 12volt direct hookup. There is also a video comparing it to the natures head toilet.

There is track over both door and a line from the front wall to the wall shared with the cabin. The curtain is cut to fit the curve of the ceiling and when retracted is stored bunched up next to the towel bar

The factory one keeps it off both door and toilet

I don't own an Ollie yet, but I have installed and replaced about a dozen faucets in homes we have owned (and built) over the years. It appears to me from photos that with all three drawers under the sink removed, you should be able to squeeze your body into position to reach the faucet. I have two torn rotator cuffs that make it difficult for me to raise my hands over my head for very long. So, when replacing a faucet lying on my back under a cabinet, I work a bit, drop my arms and rest, work a bit, rest, etc. I wear an adjustable headlamp to see what I'm doing when underneath a sink. And, I pad the places where my back rests on the the cabinet with towels, for comfort. It's not my favorite task, but it beats watching someone else charge me for their time! Like you, I always prefer to DIY. Good luck!

Last century when I was in the Army we used 55 gallon drums cut in half and incinerated the ….”stuff” in burning diesel. Seems like an incinerator toilet might need some kind of smokestack?

That would be quite a modification. The power required, either electrical or gas, would have to be considerable.

Thanks Mike, I'll get out there in the morning and see how it goes. I'm not sure I can reach up behind the sink long enough to get the faucet undone due to neck issues, and I know I can't see what I'm doing there. The attachment in my original post is a picture of the bottom of the faucet. There are two set screws that I suppose keep the nut that holds the faucet in place from loosening. I think all this faucet assembly to the sink was done before the sink was installed. That's my reasoning for removing the sink first. I will look into a water softener once we get this faucet repaired; I appreciate the suggestion. Dave

As it may be helpful for those wanting to install the Victron Energy BMV-712 Smart Battery Monitor, I've uploaded this photo of the placement of our Victron shunt and monitor--under the seat next to the pantry. My tech built a box for the monitor and secured it to the wood over the wheel well. Also, he discovered another piece of wood on the side of wheel well where he was able to secure the repeater for our new TST 507 Color Tire Pressure Monitoring System (where that little red light shines). Since we now can use our iPhones to monitor the solar-battery system, I don't anticipate needing to look down into this hatch very frequently. Thanks again to all who responded to my original post.

I purchased the Oliver bumper, pulled their receiver off and replaced with a modified 2" for the reason mentioned above. The stresses on a hitch bobbing around on a travel trailer was concerning enough that I felt a "travel trailer" approved hitch was prudent. Oliver supplying a 1.25" hitch receiver is crazy making. If I was ordering the trailer again, I'd ask that the supply the bumper without a receiver and no holes drilled. It would be super easy to buy a 2" receiver plate and bolt it down myself.

No surge brakes, those are hydraulic drum or disk brakes, operated by the trailer pushing forward on the tongue mounted actuator. Here is what a surge brake actuator looks like. Notice the fluid reservoir cap. All Ollies are delivered with electric drum brakes operated by an electronic controller inside your truck. John Davies Spokane WA

Placed a $500 deposit yesterday on a white 2022 SR5 Crewcab 5.5 bed Tundra with 12/24 ETA. After break-in will start towing Ollie and start a thread about the new rig.

We have a 2019 LEII and we found that the antenna for radio wasn’t connected. Once that was done, reception was better. We have the Omni antenna and it works really well although we don’t really use it much. I have scanned channels in many places to see what are available and have found the quality of the image from the over the air signal to be excellent.

Another idea would be for Tesla to make a sort of power wall unit that could go into the bed of the truck for extra range. Together with a small crane to get it in and out. 😂

That thing looks just like what I always envisioned a tough truck should look like. I even have a picture I drew that looks almost exactly like it. I was six at the time.