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Well, that's about as gross as it gets! gazillions of cannibalistic, squishy, slime creating, Ollie splattering critters ambling across the road. Yuck, just yuck. On the other hand, it is not all as bad as it seems. Should you break down amidst the infestation, you will not want for food. According to that all knowing source, Wikipedia, "Native American tribes historically hunted and ate the wingless Mormon cricket as a staple protein, and today Thai bars and restaurants serve deep fried crickets with beer. Additionally, over 80% of the world today incorporates insects into various cuisines." Break out the griddle . . .

I posted this in another thread and from the positive reaction I decided to make it a stand alone one. For five camping seasons I have been hating the back lighting on my Furrion radio head. The normal mode is very bright, when I switched it OFF by pressing the POWER button It dimmed a little and showed the time. I have been pulling the circuit breaker for it sometimes….. until I finally read the @#$&* operating manual, a week ago. Normal ON: Short push STANDBY: Long push completely OFF: John Davies Spokane WA

If you have Lithionics Batteries, please check that the batteries are actually turned on (Blue lights and switch should be on the top of the batteries). I've heard of some cases where one or more of the the Lithionics batteries weren't turned on at all...and as a result the owners were only using 1 battery out of a bank of 2 or 3 Lithionics depending upon the battery package you have. Also there is a service note out you should check out :

Not sure I could drink enough beer to make me want to eat those.... Yuk!

I believe that the answer is NO. If you look closely at the Andersen you will notice that the "whale tail" attaches to the underside of the assembly. Actually, there is a continuous "shaft" that extends from the ball of the hitch through a housing and comes out at the bottom to which the whale tail attaches. It is this shaft rubbing against friction material inside the housing that allows for the "anti-sway" portion of the Andersen. I'm sure that the Weigh Safe is not constructed in this manner.

If it doesn't rain - try some of THIS STUFF. Bill p.s. Another old motorcycle trick - particularly for those places that have rubber components in or around them like your mud flaps is - the night before you plan to wash the vehicle liberally spray it with virtually any "protectorant" (even Armor-All will do since you are going to wash it off anyway). Then the next day wash as normal. The protectorant softens up the critters and after washing still leaves a nice appearance on the rubber without turning "brown" over time.

I split this away from JD’s cricket experience. Seemed worthy of its own thread. Mike

This is hilarious. https://azratpack.com/mormon-crickets-us-50-the-loneliest-highway/ BTW, the general feeling about Nevada seems to be that it is endless desert and sagebrush. It could not be further from the truth, it is glorious, full of magnificent mountain ranges, but it is very remote and definitely worth a visit if you love being away from everybody. We are on our sixth day here and it has been quite rewarding. Ely NV itself is a pit, but the fully working Nevada Northern Railway is incredible. John Davies Spokane WA

Yes, I just tried it. And, if you long press the remote power button, the display goes dark!

I would also dump the mediocre Zamp PWM solar controller and get a shunt based MPPT system. Victron would be an excellent choice. This will be the standard for the 2023 Oliver’s.

The percent State of Charge (SOC) can be a little deceptive, it isn’t an absolute condition, it is the result of the little computer chip doing all sorts of calculations about charge and discharge rates. My Victron smart bus system actually has a calibration button to “Set SOC to 100%”, for example when it reads say 98% but the charge rate has dropped down to zero. Where I am getting is, don’t rely too much on that figure. OTH I would tend to believe the lithium battery results rather than the solar monitor one. Fully charged resting voltage (no load) should be around 13.5 to 13.6. Your 12.7 volts means a dead battery bank. Do you have a generator? You need one, in this case you should connect it and charge that way for at least three hours. Your tow vehicle doesn’t do anything, Oliver leaves that charge wire disconnected for the lithium packages, and your solar may just not have had enough actual sun exposure. What has the weather been like? The 75% SOC Zamp solar figure sounds very bogus to me.You need to read and understand more about how your lithiums work, they are completely different form the typical lead acid battery in your truck. From an article linked below: Your voltmeter shows not just the condition of the battery but the voltage of what is charging it, for example in full sunlight at full charge my battery voltage is around 14.4. That shows the result of the current coming in from the panels, which operate at a higher voltage than the batteries, otherwise nothing would happen (no current would flow). If the sun goes behind a tree, the panel voltage drops and what you see is the resting battery voltage. Without any major loads it should be about 13.2 to 13.4. Your 12.7 volts represents a dead battery. The battery voltage typical changes very little as it discharges, then it quickly tanks at the bottom. If you have a lthium battery powered drill, you see that when it works fine up to the very end, then it just dies. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6629-how-to-find-happiness-with-lifepo4-lithium-ion-batteries-solacity-article/ I think you are not getting nearly enough sun exposure, plus maybe there is an issue with your Zamp controller. This is a prime example of why we carry generators. If you do not have one, get one 😬 Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

@Karin, I will split off your question so that it gets the attention it deserves. I don't have your system, but I'd guess from your post that your problem isn't rapid depletion, but that it's not charging properly or sufficiently from the solar alone. How long has it been since you left Lake Guntersville? Did your lithium app show 100 per cent when you left?

Sunday morning campfire breakfast. It's the best, ever. And a beautiful morning here in wnc.

I've been searching the internet looking for a hitch to tow my soon to be Oliver. I wanted something tough, adjustable and I only wanted to buy one. My TV has a 2 1/2" hitch receiver so I also wanted one that size. My thinking on that was, I had really never seen a 2 1/2" hitch system so I figured that may keep down theft, I don't know. I've read about and experienced the hassles of properly weighing my rig and determining tongue weight of a RV. Well I stumbled across a unit made by a company called Weigh-Safe and was intrigued. It turns out that they sell a heavy-duty hitch with a built in hitch scale. I bought my unit from e-trailer it arrived in just a few days and I am very pleased with its construction. I'll post a few pictures cause I think its cool. I also bought the keyed alike hitch positioner and lock.

If you're a train buff, We recently took our grandson to the B&O RR museum in Baltimore. WoW! What a fantastic place, really deserves a full weekend or to explore. The wheels on the streamliner were taller than me (Over 6"'), very impressive

The National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis is another basically train heaven. It can be found HERE. Bill

The name "trainman" pretty much says it all. trainman

Works using the remote too.

If you listen to the words it is obvious that it is about mother nature and the eventual demise of the human race by our own ignorance. We think that we are somehow more powerful than the earth and that we ultimately determine it's destiny. When in reality she can take it back at any time and we will be the only cost. Her love rains down on me easy as the breeze I listen to her breathing it sounds like the waves on the sea I was thinking all about her, burning with rage and desire We were spinning into darkness the earth was on fire She could take it back, she might take it back some day So I spy on her, I lie to her, I make promises I cannot keep Then I hear her laughter rising, rising from the deep And I make her prove her love for me, I take all that I can take I push her to the limit to see if she will break She might take it back, she could take it back some day Now I have seen the warnings, screaming from all sides It's easy to ignore them, God knows I've tried All of this temptation, you know it turned my faith to lies Until I couldn't see the danger or hear the rising tide She can take it back, she will take it back some day She can take it back, she will take it back some day She will take it back, she will take it back some day

Today I received the 2 5/16" Bulldog Coupler (their item #028462) that I had ordered thru WalMart. GTW rating for this coupler is 12,500 lbs vs 7000 lbs on the OEM one. Though many would say that is overkill, The Outlaw Oliver II weighs over 7200 lbs so this upgrade is warranted and anyway, I'm all about overkill. It was about $66.00 and change including shipping. This will allow me to take full advantage of the Weigh-Safe hitch mount that I've also ordered. Going from the 2" to the 2 5/16" ball will increase Max GTW from 7500 lbs to 14,500 lbs. This setup now also fully optimizes the capability of the new Silverado 2500 HD truck. If you are buying a new Oliver Elite II and your plan is to tow with a HD pickup, consider specifying the larger coupler for your build.

What are the warranty terms for the scale part, and can you buy that part separately (or the orings) when it starts to leak hydraulic fluid? I would be really worried that having the coupler come down with a bang could wreck it. The ones that are not built-in like yours are known to be a little fragile (the gage itself, not the plunger and housing), and sometimes sticky operating after storage. Do you tow other heavy trailers? If so your hitch should be a very useful addition. For an Ollie, not so much. Do they offer a smaller version with a 1000 pound scale? I really like the appearance of a forged and polished aluminum hitch, like yours and my Anderson, but I don’t expect them to look very pretty after years of use (especially in winter), and you can’t just recoat them with spray paint. There are a lot of specialty hitches and couplers that appear with claims of revolutionizing towing, and many of the makers fold after a few years. It is really hard to tell when a new design is going to be a success.... please post a towing report and a few long term followups. You are rightfully concerned to be wary of theft. That is a gorgeous hitch, and you should always remove it from the truck when not in use! John Davies Spokane WA

We just just spent a week at Bear Den CG just North of Spruce Pine, NC. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ with Hull# 634 which performed flawlessly. It was a well needed vacation post our blueberry harvest. We took time and spent a lot of time learning our Ollies systems- Love Love the Truma, long instant hot showers a win.I think it took like 6-8 seconds for us to have constant hot water at the kitchen sink and sink/shower. Microwave convection oven a must have for us. We were easily able to quickly cook/heat meals during a heavy storm one evening. Full hook ups allowed us to use our black and gray tanks seamlessly. The generator tray was extremely useful for a number of tasks. (We did not take our Honda generator this trip). Our AC kept us cool and cycled as it should. We did run the Dometic furnace on a cool 60 degree morning and it performed great. All in all a great safe week! A few photos....of our great State of North Carolina! 😊🇺🇸 Our Tundra CrewMax and it’s reliability delivered and performed outstanding. Check out Bear Den if your ever traveling the gorgeous elevations of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Happy Camping! Patriot

Mossemi: In the Lithionics app you see each battery as it's own entity. They have a specific SN and you can rename them ...like Battery 1, Battery 2 or Front/Rear etc. In the Lithionics app then you see each battery on or off and it's specific details. Folks with 3 Lithionics battery configurations have 3 different battery screens available to look at the details. For the Platinum Package with 2 of the 315AH batteries you see 2 screens. In our case we also installed a Victron Smart Shunt on the negative side of the bank of 2 batteries. This way we monitor the total of both batteries. (To do that we're using 2 bluetooth based apps, one from Lithionics and one from Victron.) CS

Would the battery on/off state show on the app like the picture below? Does the picture below show the status of 1 battery or a battery bank? Or would the app show on even if only 1 of 2 or 3 batteries is on? I do not have Lithionics batteries, but I am trying to understand them a little better? Mossey

Three miles of dusty washboard 8% gravel road to get to Great Basin NP Baker Creek Campground….. No grease leaks! I seal the mating surface between the cap and the hub with a skim of clear RTV silicone sealant. The new bike rack works great: Obligatory Land Cruiser covered in dust pic, following almost 50 miles of dust up Snake Creek Canyon (south GBNP). I didn’t try to take the trailer on that one, John Davies Spokane WA

A'le'inn in Rachael is pretty neat to visit 👽

If I felt I needed more internet than our 5g phones could access, I'd order the starlink, and take advantage of their roaming program for rvs. (Full disclosure, I have a starlink on order...) The monthly fee is $135 for roaming ability, but it is billed in one month increments, and can be started and stopped at any time. (Subject to change, of course, as with anything produced by a Musk company...)

My wife and I pickup up our LEII, Hull 990 on 2/17/22. We spent the nearly a week at or near Oliver's operations in Hohenwald shaking down the systems before returning to our home in Dallas. Our Truma water heater worked as expected and we marveled at how it was "just like out tankless water heater at home". I winterized the trailer upon our return home, including installing the antifreeze option for the Truma water heater. Our LEII spent the next 6-7 weeks in our driveway while I made additions to it. On April 23, I moved the trailer to an enclosed storage facility approximately 30 miles north. We have three Lithionics batteries, for which I followed the recommendation to turn OFF the batteries during storage for 30 days or less. On approximatly May 8, I retrieved the trailer from the storage facility to prepare for departure on May 11 to South Carolina. Everything appeared to be in order prior to our departure, although I did NOT test the Truma water heater. After a full day of travel, late on the night of May 11 I discovered the Truma water heater would not operate. We had two full 20 lb. propane tanks, the stove easily lighted verifying the flow of propane. I verified the power switch on the Truma unit was ON, however, the interior control located to the right of the pantry did NOT display an amber light. No hot water. I contacted OTT Service the next day and was advised to check the fuse, which proved to be OK. I was also advised to check for 12 volts DC at the rear of the Truma remote control. Today I removed the access portal from the forward interior wall of the pantry to discover the Truma remote is apparently epoxied to the hull. A black cable with an RJ11 type telephone connector plugs into the rear of the Truma remote, making testing for 12 VDC difficult. I again called OTT Service, and after four hours have still not received a call back. I searched Google for "Truma service near me" (now Paris Mountain State Park, near Greenville, SC) and found the Truma Dealer Partner Locator on Truma.net. The first listing was for Retromodern Campers, in Pickens, SC. I phone them and spoke with Scott Whitmire, who indicate his company had recently become an authorized servicer for Truma and he had been installing Truma units in refurbished trailers, many from the 1940s and 1950s. After describing the symptoms of our Truma unit, Scott indicated he had encountered the same symptoms twice, once as recently as two weeks ago. He said he would call Truma for guidance. In about 10 minutes I received a return call from Scott, saying he had spoken with Truma and received the following directions: Power ON the Truma unit at the main power switch. On the interior mounted remote control, turn the dial to OFF Wait a few seconds, then turn the power to ON at the remote control The remote control unit should now display the amber light on the dial. I was pleasantly surprised the amber light came on. I went outside to the external shower (not wanting to fill the gray tank) and ran the water for less than a minute, when hot water began to flow. I then verified hot water was available at both the bathroom and kitchen faucets. Scott said as long as the power is not shutoff to the Truma unit, it should work just fine on the next trip. I point out that I expect it to be common practice for Oliver owners, many of whose whose trailers are equipped with lithium batteries, to power the batteries OFF between trips. This will necessitate performing the Truma re-boot process described above after each storage period in which the lithium batteries are turned OFF. I can find no reference to this re-boot process In the Truma section of the 2022 Oliver Optional Features Component Manual. I hope others with lithium batteries and Truma water heaters will recall call this procedure after they have turned OFF their lithium batteries during storage.

Good work in troubleshooting and reporting this problem. This will help someone else down the line.

We use a garden hose to simulate heavy rain with one person directing water where we suspect the exterior leak with the other watching inside. Hope it goes well tomorrow!

I'm fairly certain that under the right circumstances condensation between the hulls can do the same thing. I had an occasional small drip coming from 2 of my windows until I started making an effort to keep the humidity down inside. Once I did, the dripping ceased.

Yes it is, and I agree with you about wanting a permanent fix.

Install the trimlok gutters. That will help a bit.

Kirk: Even if Oliver is willing to allow you the "cabinet-instead of-microwave" option on your 2022 model, I would consider the thread below before presuming that the High Pointe convection microwave Oliver offers will not be acceptable. While your baking standards may be very high, there are lots of pretty satisfied Elite II convection microwave owners on this forum who have baked bread, cookies, poultry, etc.: You might also consider seeking additional input by starting another thread focused on convection oven baking results. FWIW, my wife and I like to bake too, which is why we plan to drop the extra $450 for the convection upgrade. Even if it does not offer results quite as good as our built-in double convection/standard ovens at home (which we won't know until we try it), we view it as one of the trade-offs of camping. And, if we're not satisfied with the convection oven's performance, we can always resort to that venerable Idaho camp kitchen tool we take on every extended river trip---a dutch oven! I've baked many a cake on the river... My 2 cents. Ralph Pond

We use the Netgear Nighthawk with the $50 Netgear portable MIMO antenna with AT&T. Everytime we have used it, it has had better reception than my Apple iPhone SE on Visable(Verison). We just put the antenna in the window with the best reception. Andrew

We would like to do this too . . . . unfortunately, our RV carport isn't at the house, but "at the ranch" - 1/4 mile down a private road. Not sure if the electric set up there will support this. We might consider building a new RV carport at the house as we can always use the other for equipment storage. It's a bit large for the Oliver, since it was built for a 30'l x 13'h fifth wheel with room for a slide. We have timber, a sawmill (photo of sawmill shed attached) etc. My husband is always looking for things to build 😊

Thanks . . . . that is what I thought. We are ordering just the pinstriped swoosh - no front logo; not spare tire logo. I would like to have the old style "Oliver Elite II" - the one liner. I haven't asked Oliver yet if they can do this. Our Pickup is silver, but if we should every change that, silver goes with anything 😊

Very pretty! I'm really missing North Carolina views right now. Thanks for sharing. Glad you had a fun trip. Sherry

As John said, it is a bolt on model. I will have to drill the holes to install it. Oliver tells me that they have theirs delivered with the holes already drilled.

John, The coupler Steve listed is a weld on design that must be drilled and bolted to the aluminum Oliver tongue. It is exactly the same as the stock Oliver coupler, except in 2 5/16" ball size. For anyone doing this mod, I recommend not getting the aluminum ball mount unless you are getting the 2 1/2" size for class 5 hitches. And only then if you are using it with an Oliver and not a heavier trailer. I saw a picture of an aluminum mount snapped off and it started a big discussion with a number of people saying they knew of failures too. Aluminum mounts will snap off if overloaded where steel will deform and hold on. I think aluminum is a poor choice for a drop hitch with their extreme leverage.

I bought one and had Richie @Oliver set it up to my TV a 2017 F150 8 cylinders. Towed the Oliver from Hohenwald to Lake Guntersville in Alabama and back to Northern Georgia. Tows nice and was going 65 to 70 on the interstate without any issues. Here is a picture of what the ball looks like

Shocks from the road will be transferred more harshly to the trailer body, so look for damage from things shaking. I'd check on anything loose like plates or cookware to see if they're wearing on each other more. Not that dishes are critical to your trailer, but that they'd be the canary in the coal mine. You may also feel it in the TV under certain road/driving conditions. You could also consider switching out the shock absorbers since the heavier springs have a higher spring rate. Any time you change one suspension component the rest of the system should be evaluated as well. Maybe there will be no ill effects. All I'm suggesting is to be aware of possibilities and keep an eye out.

Just watch the trailer over uneven surfaces and along rough roads. Olivers are softly sprung and quite compliant. I've also noticed witness marks on the frame where the axle is coming in contact with the frame. Unfortunately, the travel is somewhat limited and there are no rubber stops, just metal to metal. It would be nice if we could find some springs with a bit more arc, that were not stiffer. Stiffer springs are available and will also help because they will have less initial set and hold more weight. Of course, that means a rougher ride. For now, I'm going to stay with the stock setup, but if I decide to upgrade to the 5200 lb axles, I'll definitely get the springs with one more leaf too.

These are the springs for the 5200 pound axles. These are the springs for the 3500 pound axles. The GVWR of the trailer is apparently derived from the spring ratings. I agree about the higher rated coupler. I have moved up to the 2-5/16" size due to the higher weight of our trailer.

Hi Steve, I had a friend break a Spring, he had the 3500lbs axles but apparently not the right springs on his trailer, not an Ollie... You've got the 5200lb axles but do you know for sure that they upgraded your springs to the 5200lb springs also? I'd never thought about the springs having a lower rating until his broke last month and we ended up changing his out at a Rally. It was an eye opener and he was a lucky dog as usual :) On another note, I was surprised to see that our Ollie's come with a 2" ball and a 7000lb hitch, they should have an upgrade option on the order sheet to the 2-5/16" Bulldog coupler being that the 7000lb coupler isn't enough of a cushion for me. I've got a 10,000lb 2" ball, but I'm really wondering if the Bulldog Hitch will hold up if there's an impact. Personally, I think all of the trailers should have the 2-5/16" set up. Reed

Sorry Steve, I missed something. Thanks for the coupler suggestion. I would rather use the 2 5/16" ball and had no idea that this was available. Having excess capability of load gives me peace of mind. My Oliver is still in the concept mode and ideas like this and experience shared from this forum can only make it better.

Jim, You bring up some great points. The reason I went with the heavier unit with the higher scale gauge was to prevent damage from shock load. I have a 25yr career as Industrial Electrician working for a major wood products and a major steel products producer. Prior to that I was a heavy equipment mechanic working for one of the electrical utility companies in our area. Experience has taught me that gauges with a higher range have a higher tolerance to shock load distortion. It's simply a percentage thing in a mechanical gauge like this. Accuracy, true when selecting a gauge for a process you should use one that operates at 50% of scale. In this instance I decided to give up a little accuracy for durability. As I understand tongue weight it is a range of 10-15% based on trailer axle weight. Even at the low dry weight of 4k lbs that gives us a range of 4-6 hundred lbs. The scale on this unit is more than capable of indicating this fairly accurately. You brought up a very valid point concerning spares and a long trip in the woods, lol. I will be packing a spare head and ball just in case the BLM roads kill the scale or the Bull Dog coupler eats the ball. It's your fault and I thank you. This will also mitigate the "Send Me Back" warranty claims issue and for some where north of 100 bucks it's worth the peace of mind. Finally, I agree that is a pretty thing ain't it. It's a rare thing to find beauty of design and structural strength in a unit like this. Thanks Jim keep the feedback coming I really appreciate the extra set of eyes and interest.

They do make a nice hitch, I didn't need the scale, but they were one of the only ones I found that make a 3"

Found the warrant terms. One year on the gage (“accurate to 50 pounds”), lifetime for the rest. They do not mention ball wear, but I bet it is not covered. https://www.weigh-safe.com/warranty/ Like the Anderson, they require you to pay shipping and send it in for evaluarion. If you are mid-journey and have an issue, you are screwed for a week or more. If you have a HD truck, it would be smart to have a standby steel hitch and ball in case your super duper one fails. Otherwise you might be parked for a while while it gets resolved by the maker. Just saying.... FYI a 1000 hitch scale is accurate to 20 pounds. John Davies Spokane WA