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Happy first day of Spring 😍! Let the real camping season begin and the Owners Rally is just around the corner - yea! Bill

Nor is it mine!! 😊

It’s not ours!!

Happy first day of spring! Tulips opened today in celebration!

Here is a NEW post that ties together posts and threads that generate a fair amount of feedback and I thought I should update them as things change. First: Starting a Lithium Upgrade: That post lives on this Oliver Forum thread: (In addition you can find more details in our 4-Ever-Hithed.com web page blog is linked here: https://4-ever-hitched.com/ggs-blog/f/lithium-battery-upgrade ) Second: ...buried inside the Starting Lithium Upgrade thread...a ways down. Not long after the Lithium Upgrade I posted about adding an ARB Fridge to the back of our truck. This mod required adding a pair of batteries and a Redarc BC/DC charger. The original post is below : Recently - Geronimo John pointed out that the wiring details were good, but I had inadvertently exposed too many snag points with the wiring as shown. As GJ pointed out, stuff flies around on bumpy roads and could easily contact or snag the wires. After our recent 6 month road trip I took his words to heart to rewire the fridge/charger and build extra sturdy storage with Tie Downs for our F350. So here's both an update own the Fridge wiring and some pix of the new storage solution in the back of our F350. Wiring up dual batteries and a Redarc for Charging while driving: Original View: After the feedback from GJ...I modified the wiring to put most of it on the back side of the mounting board. I added standoffs so there was room behind the board for the wiring and connectors and mad sure I had a simple way to drop that board back down with the removal of 4 screws. Here's the after pix on that modification: UPDATED: Rats Nest tucked behind and wires now secured under edges of bedrug. New Front Storage Shelving: I then moved forward to create some storage space in the front of the truck for extra gear. The goal was to create a place to store bins of gear that can be strapped down during travel. Below: New Shelving with Storage Bins Shelving unit is 6' wide x 2' deep. Shelves and dividers 3/4" Plywood - wrapped in automotive carpet glued to surface. Access through side windows so I can quickly access all items in the top row Here are examples of accessories we carry that fit into various spaces/bins Hope that is of some use to anyone looking for storage solutions for the back of a truck. Craig

Happy Spring Equinox! Eight days and counting for my Oliver to hatch!

Lowes has the blue clip @Imeldadid you figure out how to use your faucet as a sprayer?

Over 6 years of towing our Oliver we’ve gone from a Tacoma to a half ton to a 3/4 ton. The Tacoma was marginal, the half ton was the sweet spot, the 3/4 ton is such a comfortable towing experience. We had over 100K miles on our Ram 1500 and had no issues at all. Just routine maintenance, oil and filter changes. Your local mechanic might have some old experiences back when Ram was Dodge. From what I’ve seen over the last few years all the major pick up manufacturers are making quality vehicles.

Springtime in the Rockies. Taken two days ago. Bluebird sky today, but another storm on the way tonight, then yet another 2022 Spring starting Tuesday (the 4th this year).

I installed the Ford OEM trailer camera yesterday. Ran it down the drivers side in the gap above the frame cross members and the fiberglass side of the Ollie. It goes behind the spare tire in the gap between the rear storage compartment and the bottom of the trailer. The excess cable goes in the spare tire well and then I ran the cable over the back of the spare cover to the camera. It works great and gets rid of a large monitor in the cab. I already have the Garmin Overlander mounted in the cab and didn’t want another screen.

The Gaia app is the place to start, and add as needed if the layers and features you can get there aren't sufficient. The one problem I have with relying solely on Gaia when I'm hiking or backountry ski touring is that if my phone screen gets sufficiently wet, it can be tough if not impossible to interact with. Backup, whether compass/map (and maybe altimeter) or a dedicated GPS unit is wise. But fwiw the mountain ski guides I know (IFMGA, ACMG certified) tend to start with Gaia or whatever is the closest equivalent when they're in Europe or Canada but keep a Garmin GPSr unit charged and in the bottom of their packs, with waypoints entered when plans warrant. The interface on the phone is just better (when the touchscreen works and the battery has charge).

Yes. It does have a sprayer. Just shows how much time I spend at my😃Oliver kitchen sink.

No negotiating. No military discount (I’m a 30 year military retiree). We like to go off grid, so solar and inverter were important. I could do without the cell booster for as much as we use it. You can do without lithium and the composting toilet if you are going to be in campsites with full hook ups. Mike

In addition to John's suggestion above, you would be well served to keep an eye on the classified section on this Forum for used trailers. Rumor has it that there will be a nice 2016 that will be placed for sale sometime over the next two months. Be prepared to move quickly on any Ollie that you see that meets your qualifications. Good luck! Bill

SB401 - Any chance of a pic of that camera on the spare tire cover? Bill

There's something just not right about that picture 🤔. However, with the dry conditions in the Western part of the US - snow is a good thing. Real Spring will be here before you know it! Bill

BTW, for turn-by-turn type directions while away from cell reception, I have added the TomTom Go app to my phone, which allows easy downloading of regions or countries (much more useful for offline than the gmaps map download feature). You seem to be more focused on the feature set of handheld GPS units typically used for walking or if in vehicles maybe more like "overlanding" but for road routing, this so far seems to be a decent option.

Our 2008 Dodge Ram is still a great tow vehicle. Just broken in at about 250k miles.

Regarding options : I can’t imagine doing without at least one awning. We have a fully loaded Oliver. We definitely wanted solar and a composting toilet. Fyi: there was no negotiating to be done when we placed our order for the 2019 model. I do think that some people have had discounts when ordering certain option packages but I suspect there won’t be many discounts for the 2023 models just because prices have risen so sharply. If budget is a consideration, you might want to consider a well-maintained used unit. Thank you for your service.

Welcome to the forum. There are lots of helpful people here that can answer your questions. For us, it was the composting toilet as my wife didn't want that. You might check the Facebook page called "Oliver Travel Trailer for Sale" for late year model trailers that are for sale. Some are only one or two years old. Good postings with pictures and what options they have. They sell for about what they paid for them. They're not like cars that depreciate as soon as they leave the lot. Happy hunting!

Your truck looks great.

I wonder if a water leak alarm would work at this location? Some are battery operated but if there is a 2nd plug in the fridge outlet, could you use a electric version? We have one of these at home, it lays in a metal tray under our HVAC system.

HI Marv Not to say I have all the answers so I will tell you my last twenty years of towing. First i just sold my 2008 Airstream 25 (5600 lbs dry and 960 in hitch weight), my wife and I put 65,000 miles on it towing with a 2014 Silverado 1500 with a 5.3 and 6 speed trans. The truck had a max tow PKG and a 373 axle . The mpg around home 19/20, towing if i stayed in the 65/70 range was 11to 12 mpg . The last trip in TX and AZ running 75 to 80+ milage was 10 to 11. I never use cruise unless it flat with no wind. With all that said I am waiting for my Elite 2 in June and my new 2022 chevy 1500 with the 3.0 and 10 speed. For the last 20 years at work I have towed boat all over Michigan and other parts of the country. I have used GMC 1500 ,2500,and 3500 both gas diesel, tow from 5000 lbs to 19,000 lbs. When I grab a truck to tow I always when i could a truck that was rated for twice trailer as the load i was moving. By doing that it was a lot nice drive, and it also gave me the best tow milage. On the 5.3 i had it ran down the highway towing @ 2200 to 2450 rpm in 5 gear and would up shift in to 6 on fall roads or with a tail wind. The Oliver weights less then my own boat by 1000 lbs a nd the hitch will be about the same. i tow the boat all over MI with out a weight equalizing hitch ,but with Sumo Springs installed. Boats do not tow near as good as Airstreams or Olivers. So with all that said I have a 2022 chevy 1500 with a 3.0 max 4 wheel drive with a 10 speed . 12900 lbs tow rating and a 2100 lbs payload I my add Sumo Spring ( 1000 lbs units) mostly to stop the bounce when towing the boat , they create a lot more bounce than travel trailers. The GM 6.6 gasser are testing a 10 speed for 2023 to help them get some milage ( family works for GM trans) lots of power for heavy loads around town but I wouldn't buy one for la daily drive or long hauling. Jim

Hill Descent is used at a walking pace, it uses the ABS as a sort of low speed cruise control, for going down really steep hills. It won’t work at highway speeds. I much prefer to just engage 4 Low and shift manually, it is much less chaotic for the passengers that way. I suggest that you research the Ford HD trucks with the 7.3 liter “Godzilla” gas motor. It has almost diesel power characteristics, is super simple and cheap to maintain, and will pull either Ollie easily. https://www.drivingline.com/articles/godzilla-truck-is-the-73-liter-v8-ford-f-250-a-throwback-big-block-muscle-pickup/ John Davies Spokane WA

Had gas. Had diesel. Back to gas now. Loved towing with the diesel. Loved the costs of repairs less. Our gasser struggles a bit with our 9500# fifth wheel but I'm hoping it'll be a good match for the Ollie. We'll see.

Not sure what Ford calls the option package that I have on my F-250, but it’s rated at 3,334 lbs payload. Highest I’ve ever seen on an F-250. Grabbed it right away when I saw it on the dealer lot. I think it was intended to be a snow plow/salt spreader type work truck.

I forgot to mention my last Duramax Mpg 14-16 towing the Oliver 21mpg no towing climbs steep hills at only 1500-2000 rpm range barely working the engine. The engine braking you’ll barely touch the brakes.

Thanks Bill. I like the idea of an engine brake since we plan on a fair amount of mountain driving. I am hoping/assuming that the hill-decent assist feature found on many of the newer gas trucks will help greatly with decending, but I have never owned a vehicle with that feature. Marv

The Living Vehicle (LV) is an interesting option. It is about 6x the cost of an oliver which sounds crazy but when you consider that the solar array is basically enough power to last for infinity AND be able to charge an EV. It is just a matter of time before there is a tow vehicle available to pull it (15,000 pound dry 18,000 loaded). That will be a game changer for me since you will be able to tow it with a vehicle that is fueled by the LV. You then have a vehicle that runs on the sun. They're built like a tank. I figured that we would need a Ford F550 or 650 to be able to tow it and carry whatever else we need (i.e, add another $150k for the TV). For now the only electric vehicles that could handle it are class 7-8 trucks like the electric freightliner or volvo, neither of which have expected cruising ranges near 300 miles. Also, the technology just isn't there yet. Even the Tesla cyber truck would be able to tow it but not have enough carrying capacity to meet the needs. The Telsla semi is expected out some time by years end (good luck) and certainly could do the job but it's designed as a single passenger semi, and waaay overkill (not to mention the pricetag in excess of $200K. So, for now the highest quality trailer I could find was the LV, and the next highest quality trailer I've seen is the Oliver. Airstream seems to be somewhat less quality then the Oliver (even more questionable since being taken over by Thor) but has some really nice options. We decided we'd go for the Oliver and if a decent EV TV ever becomes available that's in the class of the F650 (550 at a minimum), then we'd consider getting the LV since it would largely eliminate our fuel costs which will completely change the calculation of overall cost of ownership. All three (Living Vehicle, Oliver and Airstream) hold their value well enough that it's a decent gamble that you may be able to recoup most if not all of the investment when it comes time to sell. I don't see that happening with any of the other RVs on the market. For now, even at the 2023 pricing (about $11,000 more than what we'll be paying for our Oliver in May), I believe the Oliver is the best value on the market, will continue to hold it's value, and looking at the numbers quite conceivably may appreciate in value. Can't wait to start using my Oliver!!!

To all our Irish (and Irish for the day) friends, hope you have a happy day! Corned beef is resting, Irish stew is in the crockpot, beads and hats are by the door, and friends will be here at our home soon for our traditional celebration. We've been blessed with a beautiful afternoon here in Florida. A little tune from my new favorite young Irish artist (who resembles one of my nephews, especially that engaging Irish smile) to start the party. "May your troubles be less and your blessings be more, And nothing but happiness come through your door."

We got AGM’s because that was what was available back then. They did fine when we boondocked. If lithiums weren’t available I would have replaced them with AGM’s and we would still be happy campers. But, since it looks like we’ll be camping a while longer I thought it was worth it to spend the extra money on lithium batteries. No regrets. Mike

Good point. Here in the Northeast some of our boondocking is in heavy shade. The lithium package will allow us to go longer before needing to move to sun or run a generator. With the larger lithiums we should be able to camp at least a week in the shade, then recharge when we get home again. The limiting factor will now be tank sizes.

As you compare AGM to Lithium prices, consider how long you are likely to be using the trailer and if you believe "many years" is likely, then it's worth factoring in the comparative predicted lifespans of the two battery types. Lithium doesn't look quite as expensive once you do that, and if you boondock a lot especially with unreliable solar conditions then the Lithium also offers potentially significant additional benefits

I'll second what Mountainman198 said above. I purchased a used, year-old 2020 LEII and it has the solar package/4 AGM batteries/2000W inverter. All of our camping was boondocking last year in places like Rocky MT Nat Park, Custer SP, Canyonlands and forest service campgrounds with no hookups. The 4 AGMs connected to solar always had plenty of power for our needs. Now, we don't have any need to use the A/C where we camp. We had no problem running the heater all night on several trips. We watched downloaded netflix shows on the TV at night. I ran a small coffee maker in the morning and a toaster. My wife ran a 750watt hair dryer. No problem. Now, we were always in the sun where the solar would recharge nicely. I suppose I might have trouble if I were camped in the shade - I don't know. I think the lithium system is surely teriffic but I don't feel I "need" it for what we do and where we camp.

We're going with the factory lithiums and solar. Our previous RVs all had small flooded batteries and we carried a generator. I was always stressing about conserving power when boondocking and then taking time to run the generator in the morning and evening. Never again. As for the pricing, I'll be honest, the factory lithiums are a luxury. Yes, we could retrofit an Oliver with lithiums ourselves for less money. But this will be our last RV and we decided to just go for it so we can start enjoying it on day one. We're treating ourselves with this trailer.

We love lithium for many reasons - especially the lithium battery management systems. What we see omitted in most lithium-related posts is the charging limitations - not how you charge - but how fast you can replace that expended energy. So, it's the age-old "what goes out must come in." Hence, we were happier with four lithiums in our RV than the three we currently have in our Ollie. We were happier when we could provide 40 amp hours while driving than the 5 we currently have. We typically use 120 amp hours during a 24 period when boondocking and not fully replacing those amp hours simply means our stay is shortened. Charlie.

I do not have the factory lithium option in my 2017 LEII, it wasn’t available in 2017 and I bought my Ollie used. But I do have lithium batteries now, because of a lead acid battery failure which I blame on myself. And I like tinkering with my stuff. If I had a boat, motorcycle, classic car or any of the assorted toys that we can afford, it would be the same. I like tinkering and I can always find something I would change if it is something I am capable of tackling. I do not like to help people spend their money and I am not sure what that $9500 would buy anyway. I have never made any money on my choices in anything I use for recreational endeavor’s. My needs and wants are my own and I have to burden those choices my self. As you know, there are a lot of people that believe Oliver’s are over priced compared to a Casita, Scamp or any of the other travel trailers available, except maybe Airstreams. I would ask if this is your first RV, what type of camping you intend to do and where that camping will be. It may help other owners answer this question. Sorry I couldn’t be more help and I hope I haven’t added to the stress of your battery choices. And I really do like the Morton’s YouTube channel. They have great content are very transparent about their sponsors. Mossey

I have just replaced the 4 AGM batteries on our 2016 and have been happy with the performance they have given us over the past 5 years. However.... We are planning on increasing the time spent camping going forward over the next 5 years. So I have been researching Lithium Batteries for some time now. The point I took from the video you posted is... The choice to go AGM vs. Lithium's depends on the amount of load you plan to put on the off grid electrical system. So... in making the choice I would advise that people consider how they want to use their camper and what the load will be. There are people... (just saw one last week) who order LE2's with NO solar. That would not be my choice but if you plan to camp mostly at RV parks... it could make sense. We are looking at MORE off grid camping with A/C use when we "need "it and all the other demands that type of camping puts on the system. For us it's Lithium by a wide margin. As to the system being overpriced. I think you have to consider the whole price of the camper. I have been a defender of the 2023 price increase that Oliver came out with because I truly do NOT believe they are "profiteering". Inflation and raw materials cost have skyrocketed. And, if you look at the price increase history of our trailers, it's clear to see that Oliver has not given us linear increases. (that is a steady percentage or dollar increase every year) There are peaks and valleys with the two biggest peaks being 2016 and 2023. I have worked for companies with a maximum profit strategy and the price actions that go with it and that's not what I see from Oliver. As to doing the upgrade work yourself.... there are those on the forum that have done it. Not me thank you. But for those with the tech skills and desire to tinker it's a way to save some money. I would pay to have it done for me. Anyway.... hope this has helped. Best of Luck no matter what you decide. Scotty

The answer really depends on what type of camping you intend to do. If you are going to stay at full hookup campsites, then spending that much money for the lithium batteries / solar panel package doesn’t make much sense. If you are going to be camping off-grid/boondocking, then the lithium/solar package is a must have. We typically stay at full hookup campgrounds, and we don’t have the solar package (and we intentionally look for campground sites that are shaded), and our Oliver just has the old fashioned (cheap) lead acid wet cell batteries, and that setup has worked perfectly for us. I do have a small portable solar panel and charge controller setup (<$900) that I use for the occasional quick off-grid stop (usually a Harvest Host location) on our way to our destination campgrounds. I have much better things to spend $9,500 on.

@albert, I think the determining factor is whether you go out of cell-coverage into remote areas and have a safety problem or a communication need. I see that you are from Colorado as well. We find we are camping quite often in places with no cell signal such as Bear Lake Campground in Rocky Mountain Nat Park Since dogs are not allowed on trails in a national park, we had left our little dog at home with a neighbor coming over to our house to take care of her. I have a Garmin InReach Mini like @topgun2 mentioned. It allowed us to text our neighbor to check-in and answer some questions that came up. From a safety perspective, if there are others around then you have someone to ask for help, but if you camp remote or you hike remote the Garmin InReach is worth having and it works well. I opted for the cheapest, year-around plan with Garmin andI believe it's $12/month. I hike and fly fish in remote places by myself and take the InReach Mini every time to check-in with my wife and it shares my GPS location to her automaticallly. Like John, I use the InReach for communication/safety but rely on downloaded maps & GAIA GPS Maps in my phone for navigation.

OnX also sells chips containing 24,000 (7.5 quad) topo maps of entire states. These chips can be utilized by devices, such as the many handheld Garmin GPS units which allow you to switch out micro sd cards. While quite spendy, about $100 per state when I bought WA and OR a couple years back, these cards give you seamless, high resolution topo map coverage for an entire state. As you move from one state to another you must change out chips as you go. As John Davies stated, you can download maps by region on both GAIA and also OnX. These maps are available in resolution from high to low depending on the size of the area covered - higher resolution comes at the cost of a smaller geographical area covered . This is fine if you have access to internet but is slow or impossible to update on the fly if done over cell signal. If you have marginal or no cell coverage, the option to download maps simply goes away. Files are quite large which means you either have to spring for a device with a great deal of memory or delete files when not in use to make space for new regions. I like using my I Phone or I Pad for day trips where cell signals are strong but find these devices lacking when signals are weak, non-existent or when your device has limited battery life ... these programs are energy hogs. When seriously hiking, I carry maps, compass and a dedicated backcountry GPS unit like the Garmin 66ST with pre-loaded, high resolution maps aboard.

I haven't really run the numbers over the years.. but it seems to me that the last big jump in price was 2015 to 2016. About 10k for a well equipped LE2. The price of the thermoplastics in fiberglass must be a big driver of this increase. Plus the OEM components have gone up during the 2022 order cycle and I don't think those increases were passed on. I really don't believe we are seeing opportunism with this increase. Everything is getting more expensive. I guess that's what happens when you print a bunch of money. Let's say that Oliver has capacity to build 400 trailers.... I know... it's probably a bit below that but it's a nice round number. Demand has been high and shows no signs of stopping. We could increase capacity and increase profit dollars by selling more trailers... but that comes with costs and risk. You'd have to expand production space and labor, which is expensive. OR... you could raise the price until you start to see demand drop... then you could gauge what price the market would bear and maximize profits. You still make more profit dollars but can more easily handle a downturn like the 2008 situation. To be clear... I don't believe that Oliver is engaging in a profit maximization strategy. I think they are truly walking the tightrope with profitability on one side and a possible decline in business (due to increased price) on the other. I want the company to be successful. That's how we get the support we need for maintenance and upgrades. The good news for current Oliver TT owners is...... Our trailers just went up in value. Plus FB travel trailers have always had a special / niche spot in the market. They may take a hit when the economy turns south.. but will bounce back when it recovers. Anyway... sorry for getting so long winded. Happy Camping!

I do not see anything on the build sheet to indicate if they are offering a different (quieter) AC unit. Does anyone know the status of this?